


Downtown Bakery

by KrysBlack



Series: Downtown Bakery [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Bisexual Lance (Voltron), Bottom Lance (Voltron), Choking, Explicit Sexual Content, First Time, Frottage, Gay Keith (Voltron), Light Dom/sub, M/M, Minor Violence, Multiple Orgasms, Mutual Masturbation, Mutual Pining, Nonbinary Pidge | Katie Holt, Oral Sex, Orgasm Delay/Denial, Pining Keith (Voltron), Pining Lance (Voltron), Prostate Massage, Referenced Minor Character Death, Switch Keith (Voltron), Switch Lance (Voltron), Top Keith (Voltron)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-26
Updated: 2019-01-04
Packaged: 2019-01-05 21:25:22
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 23
Words: 165,584
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12197718
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KrysBlack/pseuds/KrysBlack
Summary: New town, new job. Lance just started his new job at Altea Bakery, and is swept off his feet by the sexy tattoo artist two spaces down (that would be Keith y'all!).





	1. Altea Bakery

**Author's Note:**

> Starting out rating Teen and up, may move up to Mature or Explicit. We'll see where this ride takes us!
> 
> This is inspired from a little [comic](http://tetramancer.tumblr.com/post/165631821970/a-mutual-on-the-voltron-amino-asked-for) I saw and I HAD to write something for it!
> 
> This first chapter mostly just sets up the scene for the rest of the story.
> 
> Unbeta’d, so please excuse any errors!

“Shit, shit, shitshitshitshitshit!” Lance turned onto Brooks Street, stuck behind the slowest car in existence, to park on the backside of Altea Bakery. It was his first day, and of course the tourist traffic was ridiculous, and he was late. A whole twenty minutes late! He had called Coran as soon as he hit the traffic, 30 minutes ago, but still! His first day! He had no idea traffic could get so bad in a smaller city like this!

He parked beside the other cars behind their section of the strip, and dashed inside the back door, barely remembering to lock his car on the way in. The back of the shop was blessedly empty of people, and he took a moment to breathe and calm down before venturing further in to find his new boss.

“Lance! Glad you could make it!” the older man called out as he pushed through the swinging doors leading to the front of the shop. His slacks and pressed shirt were covered in a brown apron, ‘Altea Bakery’ embroidered across the chest in a soft pink script, shirt sleeves rolled up to his elbows.

“Hi, Mr. Smythe. Again, I’m so sorry-“ 

Coran cut lance off with a wave of his hand. “Not to worry my boy! Tourist traffic is no joke! But please be sure to calculate that into your commute time tomorrow,” he chastised gently, waving the young man over to give him a tour of the place, “and please, call me Coran.”

“Yes, sir,” Lance replied, moving to follow the man farther into the kitchen.

Lance listened intently as Coran showed him through the kitchen, explaining the different stations and informing him of the equipment his head baker has claimed for his own. “Don’t even bother cleaning them. I tried to once and Hunk nearly had my head!” Coran laughed, and Lance chuckled nervously in reply. Coran went on to show him the cooler and freezer, then led him out to the front of the shop. There were two other people out there, both wearing the same brown apron as Coran.

Coran called out to the two, who were already turning toward the doors, “Hunk, Shay, this is Lance. Lance, my head baker Hunk, and our expert cake decorator, Shay.”

Hunk grinned, holding out a large hand. “Nice to meet you, Lance.”

Lance tentatively grasped Hunk’s outstretched hand, surprised when the man didn’t immediately crush his fingers and instead gently shook it. “Yea, you too.”

“Aw, Coran!” Hunk cried, noticing Lance’s nervousness, “did you have to warn him about my equipment? You always make me out to be some big mean bully!” He turned back to Lance with a sheepish smile. “I’m not gonna rip your head off, ok?”

Lance chuckled, “ok.”

With a roll of her eyes, Shay elbowed Hunk out of the way, “alright, hon. We all know you’re a big teddy bear,” she took Lance’s hand from Hunk and gave it a slightly firmer shake. “I’m Shay, nice to meet you. I decorate the cakes and cookies.”

Lance smiled, “nice!”

“Yea! She’s the best in the area,” Hunk jumped in, sliding an arm around Shay’s shoulders, his smile full of pride. Shay flushed, but leaned into him.

“I’d love to watch some time, if that’s okay,” Lance asked.

“Yea, sure! I don’t mind,” Shay replied, then stood up straight. “Okay, shop opens in five, let’s finish wiping the tables.” She and Hunk turned back to their discarded rags to do just that as Coran led Lance back into the kitchen and beyond to his office.

“I’ve got some more paper work I need you to do before I can get you started today,” he told Lance, pulling out a small file. He showed Lance to a small side table in the office and handed over the file. “Take your time, pens are there, come find me when you’re done.”

“You got it, boss!” Lance quipped, causing Coran to chuckle and shake his head. He left Lance alone with the office door open. Lance heard him go back out front, and the murmur of conversation filtered through the swinging doors. He smiled, grabbed a pen, and got to working on the papers in front of him.

****

The morning and early afternoon had gone smoothly after that. Lance was given a run-down on each different pastry they made, where it belonged, and how to ring them up on the register. He took his lunch break at the coffee shop next door, and was tasked with wiping down all the surfaces in the kitchen after.

He heard the bell above the door ding, letting them know of someone coming in. Hunk’s voice carried back to the kitchen.

“Keith! What’s up man? Here for the usual?”

“Hey, Hunk. Yeah, the usual is good.”

Sweet Mary, mother of Jesus. Lance had to stop what he was doing and close his eyes. That man’s voice, it was like sex to his ears. He ached to catch a glimpse of the man’s - Keith’s - face, but he didn’t dare move. Keith and Hunk kept chatting, Shay interjecting a comment here and there, as he assumed Hunk was gathering whatever Keith’s ‘usual’ was. Too soon, they were wrapping up.

“This on Shiro, or you?”

Keith chuckled, and Lance’s knees nearly buckled, “You think I’ll pass up putting this on Shiro?”

That caused Hunk to laugh, the sound booming through the entire shop. “I know man, just gotta ask. We’ll put it on his tab.”

“Thanks, man. Catch you later. Bye Shay.”

“Later, dude!”

“Bye, Keith!”

The bell sounded again, and Keith was gone. Lance took a few moments to re-center himself before getting back to his task. He wanted to ask Hunk or Shay about Keith, but he didn’t know how well that would go over with them. Coran seemed to be someone who was very accepting when Lance came for his interview, but the area here was pretty evenly mixed on LGBT matters. Lance figured out pretty quickly after moving here that keeping his orientation to himself was best. He wouldn’t lie when asked, but he wasn’t going to volunteer that information either.

When he finished with the kitchen, Lance moved on to the front, getting a clean rag and wiping down all the counters and tables. “Hey, Hunk?” he asked, trying to appear casual.

“What’s up?” Hunk was rearranging one of the cases, replacing some pastries with fresh ones while rotating others.

“I heard you putting that last guy’s purchase on a tab. Do we do that for a lot of people?”

“Huh? Oh, no, just the guys from two doors down. One of them comes in every day, they have since we opened, and so to make it easier on both of us we started running a weekly tab for them. The owner, Shiro, usually pays, but sometimes Keith or Pidge are treating and they’ll pay separately.”

Lance ‘hmm’ed in reply, switching out the rag for glass cleaner and paper towels to wipe down the fronts of the cases and the doors.

 

The rest of the afternoon was fairly quiet, which gave Lance an opportunity to watch Shay decorate cookies. He was entranced, and quite impressed by her steady hand. He told Shay now he’d tried writing on a cake once, and it turned out a jittery, squiggly mess. Shay giggled, admitting her first few dozen cakes were similarly awful, and encouraged Lance to keep trying if it was something he wanted to do. Lance shrugged, but kept watching, much to Hunk’s disgruntlement. 

Hunk made a point of touching Shay any time he passed by, and he made sure to have plenty of excuses to pass by. Lance should have felt intimidated, but he just found it funny. Shay, on the other hand, found it bothersome. “Hunk, what are you doing?” she demanded as she sat up straight to give her back a rest.

“I’m working?” Hunk replied, phrasing the statement like a question.

“You’re supposed to be baking for tomorrow. Nothing over here has anything to do with that.” Shay raised a brow.

“Uh…” Hunk blushed, rubbing the back of his neck, “y’see, well…I’m just…”

Lance decided to help the guy out, “he’s letting me know you’re not available.” Hunk and Shay turned to look at him, Shay in confusion and Hunk in embarrassment.

“Why?” Shay asked.

Lance shrugged, “I get it a lot. I’m a really social person, and a lot of people see me as a flirt. I just like being friendly, is all. Sorry, Hunk, if I came off a bit too strong.”

Shay did not look impressed, turning her furrowed brow to Hunk, who brought his hands up in a shrug.

“No harm, no foul?” Hunk asked, and Shay rolled her eyes and got back to decorating.

“No worries, big guy,” Lance grinned, but stood up anyway to find something else to clean.

Shortly after, Coran emerged from his office, announcing the end of the day. He checked over Lance’s work, praising him for keeping himself busy during the lull, and helped the other three close up shop. Hunk locked the front door and turned the sign to ‘closed’, Shay got the lights, and Coran ushered them all out the back door.

Someone was out there, leaning against a little Smart Car, playing on their phone.

“Have a good night, Pidge!” Hunk called, waving to the person, who looked up and raised a hand in acknowledgement. Hunk and Shay left together, Coran unlocked a bike, and Lance got in his car, heading home for the night.


	2. Voltron Tattoo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance meets Keith!
> 
> Still unbeta'd

As it turns out, Lance wouldn’t get to see slash meet ‘Keith’ for nearly two weeks.

The following day, Lance was behind the counter, restocking pastries when he heard Hunk greet the person who walked in.

“Hey, Shiro! How’s it goin’?”

“Pretty good, man. How’s things here?”

“Yeah, it’s goin’ good. You guys want your usual today?”

Lance chose that moment to stand up. He wanted to get a good look at Keith, but was curious of the other two as well. His glimpse of Pidge last night really didn’t tell him much.

“Keith’s out of town, but Pidge and I will take our usual,” Shiro remarked as he approached the glass case just inside the door. Of course, this was the case Lance was standing right behind, so he pasted a grin on his face and waved before ducking back down to continue his task.

Shiro was built, all muscle, wide shoulders, trim hips, and tattoos. His arms - well, arm - was nearly covered in them, and the designs disappeared under his tight black t-shirt. Lance wondered how much of his torso was covered in ink. Some of the art crawled up his neck. His right arm was a ridiculously high-tech prosthetic. It moved just like a flesh arm and hand, and Lance used his advantage of hiding behind the counter to watch as he moved it almost naturally while he talked with Hunk.

“…earth to Lance!”

“Huh?” Lance jumped, banging his head on the top of the counter as he hopped up, caught watching.

“Pass me a chocolate pastry, please?” Hunk repeated, his tone bordering on exasperated. 

“Oh, right!” Lance ducked back down, using a wax paper to grab the requested item. He placed it gently in the paper bag Hunk was holding out, and grinned sheepishly. “Anything else?”

“Thanks, that’s it.” Hunk carefully folded down the top of the bag and handed it over to Shiro. “Shiro, this is Lance, our new guy.”

“Hi Lance our new guy,” Shiro grinned, reaching out with his prosthetic hand.

Lance extended his hand over the glass to shake Shiro’s. “Nice to meet you. Cool ink!”

Shiro laughed, pulling back and tucking his hand into his pocket. “Thanks, man. I don’t get nearly as many compliments on them as I used to.”

“That’s a shame.”

“You’re telling me. Well, I better get Pidge their chocolate or I might be on my own tonight. Later.” Shiro raised the bag in his left hand in salute and exited the shop, turning right toward his place.

“Woah,” Lance breathed, eyes lingering where Shiro disappeared beyond the window.

“I think you’re the first new person who didn’t immediately ask about his arm,” Hunk observed.

“Is that good or bad?” Lance broke his gaze away from the window and turned to Hunk, who looked impressed.

“Really good. You’re probably like his best friend now,” Hunk teased, grabbing the extra pastries to take back into the kitchen.

“Hey, he said Keith is out of town, right? Did he mention for how long?” Lance grabbed the other tray he’d been using and followed Hunk through the swinging doors.

“Uh, a week I think? Why?” Hunk eyed him with suspicion.

“N-no reason, just curious,” Lance stuttered, busying himself with putting the extra pastries back onto their correct racks. Hunk was uncharacteristically quiet, but Lance was afraid to face him. The silence stretched for longer than either man was really comfortable with, until finally Hunk sighed.

“I don’t have to worry about you and Shay at all, do I?” he asked quietly.

Lance turned to face Hunk, taking in his serious expression, and blushed. “Eh…kinda?” he shrugged and scratched the back of his neck. “I mean, no way would I step in on someone else’s girl, so you really don’t have to worry, like, at all…but-“

“But?”

Lance grimaced, then blurted out, “but I swing both ways?” and froze, eyes wide, hand still tucked behind his head, waiting for Hunk’s reaction.

Hunk raised one eyebrow, folded his arms across his chest, and let out a deep exhale. Lance was terrified. Hunk was gonna kick his ass, and boot him out of the bakery. He really couldn’t afford another setback like this! But Hunk’s face slowly broke into a small smile. “Alright, that’s cool.”

“That’s…cool?” Lance dropped his hands to his sides, dumbfounded. “That’s it?”

“Dude, Coran is totally Gay, and Shay’s Bi too so yeah. That’s it.” Hunk laughed at the gobsmacked expression on Lance’s face. “Wait, you didn’t know?”

“Coran?” Lance worked his mouth soundlessly for a moment. “Gay?”

Hunk laughed harder, “oh, man. You must live in the wrong part of town. The strip here is totally cool.”

Lance heaved a sigh of relief, palm pressed to his chest, as he visibly deflated. “Dude…”

“Yeah. Hey! You should walk down the strip and check it out after we close tonight. You’ll see what I’m talking about.”

“Yeah, okay.” Lance grinned, and Hunk grinned back. The rest of their day went without incident, and Lance felt lighter than he had in months.

****

Hunk was right, of course.

After closing, Lance walked around the back of the gym on the bakery’s left and wandered down the Strip. It was just nearing dusk, and the street lights were just starting to come on, including strings of lights stretched across Highway 98 to the other side. Lance passed the Bakery and the coffee shop he had lunch in yesterday, and came across Shiro’s place. Voltron Tattoo. Neat, so Shiro, Keith, and PIdge did tattoos. He peeked in the window, but both Shiro and PIdge were busy so he passed by without disturbing them.

As he continued down the strip, he took in the colorful places, and the colorful people. This place really was ‘totally cool’, as Hunk had said. Mixed in with the usual restaurants and bars (including an outdoor bar with a fake beach!), there was a total of three tattoo parlors, some boutiques (one of which was on the risqué side), a small park, a couple of stores dedicated to running and biking, a ballet school, and some kitschy tourist shops. 

Lance made mental plans to visit almost all of these places soon, and headed back to his car for home.

****

The following two weeks flew by for Lance. He was learning so much at the bakery, and true to his word he was exploring the strip, and the area, as often as he could. He found the GIANT park behind the strip a few days into his time there, and now spent nearly every lunch break people watching just far enough away from the playground that he didn’t appear creepy.

Shay started teaching him some cookie decorating techniques, and Lance was allowed to spend fifteen minutes a day practicing with the piping bags. He was also learning some of the easier recipes so he could help Hunk bake as the season started to pick up. 

He got to meet Coran’s niece, Allura, a drop-dead-gorgeous woman who seemed to always be dressed to kill. He found out later that she’s a fashion blogger, and she and Shiro were completely ga-ga for each other. He finally figured out why PIdge was so ambiguous, since they’re a they and all that, and met their brother, Matt, a civilian contractor engineer who worked at the local Air Force Base. He was also the genius who designed and built Shiro’s ‘super cool robot arm’, as Lance liked to call it.

After the first week, Keith was back in town but Lance never seemed to be able to catch a glimpse of him. He was either on break when Keith came for their daily treats, or off running an errand, or just on his day off.

Finally, after another week, it happened.

 

Lance was pulling a tray of warm pastries out of the oven when the door-bell dinged.

“Lance…” Hunk called out from the walk-in cooler.

Lance grinned, “I got it, man, c’mon!” He pushed through the swinging doors, hot tray in his mitted hands. “Hey! Welcome to A-alte…uhh….hhhh…”

A dark-haired adonis was standing in the doorway, one hand on the door’s handle, the other holding his phone and texting. He was covered in tattoos not too dissimilar from Shiro’s, thought he wore a tattered black tank top, the logo for Voltron Tattoos printed on it’s front. Dog tags hung around his neck from leather strips, a red hoodie was tied around his waist, and dark blue skinny jeans encased his legs. His skin was creamy pale white, and his dark mop of hair looked purposely tousled as if he’d just rolled out of bed.

Lance stopped and stared, and the door that he had shoved open now swung back onto him, knocking him slightly off balance. The tray in his hand tipped forward, dumping the pastries to the floor, and the tray along with them.

“Lance! Not the pastries!!” Hunk cried in dismay.

Lance jolted, a deep red flush blooming across his cheeks. Hunk’s reprimand and the clatter of the tray brought him back to the present, and gained the attention of the man that had to be Keith.

“Oh, shit,” Lance dropped down, righting the tray and hastily gathering the spilled pastries back onto it. Keith walked farther into the bakery, concern twisting his lips to the side.

“Hey, are you ok?” He knelt down beside Lance, who froze again at hearing Keith’s voice. Yup, sex on ears voice. Definitely Keith.

“Uh, yeah. Sorry. Just a sec.” Lance stumbled through his words as he grabbed the tray and stood again, dashing back into the kitchen to dump the ruined pastries into the trash.

“Dude, you’re making the next batch of those,” Hunk accused, then shifted to concern as well, “you ok? What happened?”

“Uh, n-nothing!” Lance squeaked, “I just, uh…well…umm…I gotta go help a guy- a customer!” He hurried back out to the front, and found Keith standing right where he’d left him, looking at his phone. “Uh, hi! What can I get for you?”

Keith looked up at Lance, blinked, and tucked his phone away. Lance wasn’t sure, but did the guy just blush a little? Huh. “Yeah, right um,” Keith looked a bit lost for a moment, then shook his head, “Shiro has a tab here? I’m picking up our usual.”

Lance grinned, “Right! Let me get that ready for you.” Good job, Lance. Keep it cool. He pulled on a glove and grabbed a paper bag. He held the bag in his ungloved hand as he set to work getting the three usual pastries the Voltron Tattoo team always got. “You must be Keith, I’m Lance. I just started here a couple of weeks ago.”

“Oh, yeah. Shiro mentioned you,” Keith replied, shifting from one foot to the other, “he said you actually complimented his tattoos without asking about his arm. That’s…really cool, man.”

Lance ducked his head, a sheepish grin splitting his face. “It was nothing,” he started, but Keith cut him off.

“No, man. It’s a big deal.” Keith looked down and away, gaze lingering on the opposite display case from where Lance was getting his chocolate pastry.

“Okay, well if you ever need me to gush over his ink, or yours, you guys know where to find me,” Lance winked as he walked back over to Keith, holding out the bag now filled with the group’s pastries.

Keith took the bag from Lance’s hand and their fingers brushed momentarily from the exchange. Lance let his hand drop, his fingers tingling, as Keith paused before turning toward the door. “Uh, right…Um, okay…later,” he mumbled as he left, not even glancing back in Lance’s direction before he was gone.

Lance stood there for a good two minutes, rubbing his fingers together absently. Hunk found him that way when he came out to get Lance to remake the pastries he ruined. “Uh, Lance? You ok?”

“I think I’m in love,” Lance murmured, holding his still tingling fingers against his chest. “Holy shit, Hunk,’ he turned to the larger man, eyes wide, “this is it. It’s Keith. He’s the one.”

Hunk looked extremely uncomfortable to be having his conversation with Lance. “Dude, I’ve only known you for like two weeks. And you literally just met Keith. Let’s leave the declarations of love for another time and focus on replacing those pastries you dumped on the floor.”

“Yeah, okay,” Lance sighed, following Hunk into the kitchen. He was lost in a daze for the rest of the afternoon. He still managed to complete his tasks for the day, but his usual chatter was absent, much to Hunk’s delight (“I like quiet Lance”), Shay’s confusion (she missed Keith’s visit, but Hunk filled her in after closing), and Coran’s nostalgia (“I remember being love-struck like that once…” “No Coran don’t encourage him!”-Hunk)


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pining Lance! Pining Keith? 
> 
> Lance visits Voltron Tattoo to hang out and stuff.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi. So. Here's a little PSA. My knowledge of Tattoo shops (parlors?) is limited to that one time, years ago, I watched some of the TLC episodes of Kat Von D's Tattoo show, of which I can't even remember the name. So please, if I make any mistakes (I'm sure I did, let's be honest), please don't hesitate to correct me, preferably gently if you don't mind.

Lance was completely smitten.

 

Keith starting showing up more often to pick up his, Shiro’s, and PIdge’s pastries, and usually stayed for a few extra minutes to chat if Lance was there, which was also more often as Lance would try to run the Bakery’s errands or take his breaks long before or after what he started calling the ‘Voltron Pastry Run’.

 

Lance learned quite a few things about Keith during their little chats. Keith never ate a pastry unless there was something chocolate in or on it, he liked his coffee black but his iced tea extra sweet, he didn’t like the tourist girls who came in groups to get tattooed (especially when they all requested only Shiro or Keith because they wanted to get in their pants), he loved working on the strip and the feeling of community all the stores had with each other - even ‘competing’ places like the three tattoo parlors here. 

 

The most recent thing Lance learned about Keith, made him really see the inner strength the young tattoo artist possessed. Shiro was his cousin, but was more like a brother since Shiro’s parents took Keith in after his own died in a car accident. Lance was astounded that Keith would reveal something so deep and personal so quickly, but Keith just shrugged it off, “it happened, it shaped me. I’m not ashamed of it.” 

 

Every time Keith came by, Lance was almost completely useless for at least thirty minutes afterward. He’d float through the kitchen with a far away look on his face. Coran and Hunk decided that would be the best time for Lance to do the usual afternoon wipe-down, as he was somehow able to clean and dream at the same time.

 

 

This went on for over a month, and Lance was falling harder for Keith every time they saw each other.

 

Keith offered for Lance to come visit Voltron Tattoo whenever after the bakery closed, but Lance had yet to work up the nerve to do so. Shay teased him mercilessly about it, asking him every day if he was going to go by. 

 

“But I’m in my work clothes!” Lance whined one evening.

 

“ _Lance_ ,” Shay rolled her eyes and poked him in the chest, “then bring some nicer clothes and change after work!” Her expression told him ‘honestly, do I have to tell you everything?’

 

Lance sighed, “I’m running out of excuses Shay, and you keep shutting down all my good ones!” He leveled the woman with his best puppy-dog eyes, praying she would take pity on him.

 

Shay laughed and did no such thing. “That’s because all your excuses suck. If you don’t go visit him tomorrow, I’ll drag you there myself on Friday.” Lance knew by know that Shay’s threats were real, and backed down immediately.

  
“Okay, okay. I’ll bring clothes tomorrow and go visit Keith,” Lance mumbled, defeated.

 

“Good.”

 

****

 

“Are you sure I look okay? I think I should go home and change-“

 

“What did I say about not visiting Keith tonight?”

 

“That you’ll drag me there yourself tomorrow.”

 

“That’s right. And you look great, stop worrying! Go out the front door, I’ll lock up behind you.”

 

Lance flushed at the unexpected compliment, but still hesitated at the door. Shay tisked and practically shoved him out, before closing and locking the door behind him. Lance turned at the click of the lock, and jumped when Shay was still standing there. She made shooing motions with her hands in the direction of Voltron Tattoo, and Lance waved as he sauntered off in that direction.

 

He came up to the door, even went as far as grabbing the handle, and paused. Was this really a good idea? What if Keith wasn’t into him? What if Keith wasn’t into _guys_ at all and Lance made a total fool of himself? What if…

 

The door opened toward him, and Lance jumped back. Pidge was pushing the door open, giving him a half-hearted glare over the rim of their glasses.

 

“Are you going to stand there holding the door shut all night? Or did you have a reason to be here?” they asked accusingly. Damn, Pidge was salty.

 

“Um…” Lance faltered, and nearly backed out when Shiro’s voice filtered out from inside the shop.

 

“Pidge! Quit sassing potential clients- oh, hey Lance! Come in.” Shiro appeared behind Pidge, pulling them back into the shop to give Lance room to do the same. “Keith’s with a client, I’ll let him know you’re here. Make yourself comfortable wherever, you want a water or soda?” Shiro’s arm swept around the shop, pointing out a few comfortable looking couches as he wandered toward the back of the shop.

 

“I-I’m good, thanks,” Lance stuttered, hesitating by the door before picking the closest couch and gingerly sitting on it’s edge, hands clasped between his knees.

 

Pidge watched him, their eyes narrowed, calculating. They tilted their head just a bit, before apparently coming to a conclusion, and sat down behind the desk just beside the door. Their attention was immediately back on the open magazine in front of them, and Lance was effectively ignored.

 

Shiro returned shortly after Lance sat down, a bottle of water in his hand, which he promptly handed to Lance once he was close enough. “Keith’s almost done. You picked a good night to stop by, he’s our last appointment for today.”

 

“Oh, uh…great?” Lance groaned internally. He couldn’t feel like a bigger dork than right now, this very moment. Shiro chuckled and went over to an area with chairs similar to those found in hair salons. He busied himself with wiping down one of the areas, then disassembled some piece of equipment and took the parts into the back. Lance decided to visually take in the room he was in, taking note of the lack of flash art on the walls. Instead, professional photographs of different tattoos were hung all over the place. Lance assumed they were part of their portfolios, or possibly parts of themselves.

 

What felt like an eternity, and yet not time at all, Keith and another man emerged from the back. Lance watched as Keith shook the man’s hand and bade him good night. The man left with barely a glance in Pidge’s or Lance’s direction, and then Lance’s attention was right back to the center of his universe.

 

“Lance, hey.” Lance shivered at the sound of his name in Keith’s voice. “I was starting to wonder if you’d ever stop by.”

 

“H-Hey Keith,” Lance stood up, unsure if he should shake Keith’s hand or just sand there, so he just stood there. Well, he decided to shove his hands in his pockets for good measure. He watched as Keith’s eyes lowered, seeming to travel down his body, before coming back up to his own. Lance blushed. “Yeah I uh…didn’t want to intrude…”

 

A bemused smile settled on Keith’s lips. “You’re not intruding if you’re invited,” he reminded Lance, and waved for him to follow as he turned to the back of the shop. “I gotta clean up, you can come with if you want.”

 

“Sounds good.” Lance was proud he didn’t stutter that time, and followed Keith into a small room separated by a heavy curtain. “So is this room for special clients?” he asked in genuine curiosity.

 

Keith chuckled and pulled on a pair of black disposable gloves before he began clearing off his work space, tossing used disposables and setting aside the rest. “Nah. Some people prefer a little more privacy, so Shiro had these two little rooms done up to accommodate.” He picked up a spray bottle and misted the cleaner within over the chair and work surfaces, then tore paper towels off a role to wipe it all up.

 

“Oh.” Lance leaned against the doorframe, the heavy curtain pushed to the other side. He watched Keith disassemble another piece just like Shiro had done minutes before. _Ah,_ Lance realized, _the tattoo gun_. He stepped aside as Keith moved toward and then past him, disappearing down a short hallway with a muttered, “be right back.” He stood there, feeling awkward, and fiddled with the hem of his shirt. It wasn’t long before Keith returned, and jerked his chin back toward the main area. Lance let Keith lead him to a different couch, watching as he flopped down on one side, leaving plenty of room for Lance to join him. He did, sitting down a little more sedately than Keith, not quite right next to him, but not clear on the other side either. They were both silent for a few minutes.

 

“So, uh…you guys stay pretty busy?” Lance asked, grasping for something to talk about.

 

“Yeah, it’s been pretty slow tonight but usually we’ve got a steady flow of people coming in and out.” Keith stretched his left arm along the back of the couch, behind Lance’s shoulders, but he kept his eyes facing forward. 

 

“That’s good.” Lance leaned back a bit, but jolted back to sitting up straight when he felt Keith’s hand against his shoulder blade. Keith didn’t seem to notice, and Lance let out a silent sigh of relief.

 

“What about the Bakery? You guys getting a lot of customers?”

 

“Uh, ye-yeah. It’s been pretty steady. Hunk says it should really pick up in the next week or so.”

 

Keith ‘hmm’ed in acknowledgement, tilting his head back to rest against the back of the couch with a quiet groan.

 

“Tough piece?” Shiro asked from across the room.

 

“Dude. I’m not even half done. He’s gonna have to come back like twice before we’ll even start on any colors.” Keith rubbed his face with his right hand, carding through his hair afterward.

 

“But he was only here for an hour.” Shiro sounded confused.

 

“Yeah, he had some thing he needed to get to, I dunno. He said he’d call tomorrow to set his next appointment.”

 

“Cool. So Lance, how long have you lived in the area?” Shiro sat down in one of the salon style chairs.

 

Lance shrugged, “not too long, about three months.”

 

Keith looked over at Lance, “where did you move from?”

 

“Orlando.”

 

“Why would you want to move _here_ from Orlando?” Pidge apparently didn’t pull their punches.

 

Lance felt his face flush, and ducked his head. “Well, it’s kinda complicated, but I didn’t really plan to move here. I just started driving and this is where I ran out of gas money, so I figured I’d get a job and find a place to stay.” He kept his eyes down, afraid to see their reactions.

 

“You get kicked out or something?”

 

“Pidge!” Shiro’s sharp tone made Lance flinch.

 

“What? People don’t do shit like that unless they don’t have a home to go to.”

 

“Yeah, I got kicked out,” Lance decided, why not? His boss and co-workers at the Bakery accepted him, Coran hired him knowing he had no home to go back to. “My family are really conservatives Christians, and pretty intolerant of ‘alternate lifestyles’,” he made air quotes around the last two words, then shrugged. “An ex-girlfriend of mine found out I’m Bi, and told my parents. I was at work, and when I came home all my stuff was already packed up in the garage with a note on top. So I shoved the essentials into my car and left.” He actually felt more embarrassed for still living at home at his age than getting kicked out of his family. Then again, lots of ‘millenials’ were doing the same to save on expenses.

 

“Dude, your parents suck.”

 

“Pidge!”

 

“And I wanna shank your ex-girlfriend.”

 

Lance laughed and shook his head, stealing a glance over at Keith, who was rather quiet. Keith was staring at him with a slightly shocked face, his eyes shinier than usual. Their eyes locked, and Keith quickly shut his mouth and looked away, pink dusting across his cheekbones. Lance’s gaze lingered for another moment, wondering what that was about.

 

“No seriously. Road trip to Orlando. Let’s shank the bitch.” Pidge seemed to be vibrating, itching to jump up and defend the Lance, who thought they didn’t really like him to begin with.

 

“That’s okay, Pidge. It was going to happen eventually anyway, I had just planned to move out first.” 

 

“Lance,” Shiro started, looking as if he was going to jump out of his seat too, “I’m really sorry that happened, but I’m also really glad you’re here.” His eyes cut to Keith for barely a second, then settled back on Lance. “I know the guys at the Bakery are super grateful for you.”

 

“Eh,” Lance shrugged again, “I’m good at cleaning, what can I say?” he chuckled at his own jab, but stopped when he felt the couch vibrate. He looked over at Keith, who was silently laughing next to him, his whole body shuddering in mirth. “Seriously? It wasn’t that funny,” Lance grinned.

 

Keith abruptly stopped laughing. He looked up at Lance fearfully, but relaxed into a small smile upon seeing Lance’s grin. “Caught me off guard,” he muttered, ducking his head.

 

 

 

Lance was finally able to relax after that conversation, and the rest of the evening was, to him, absolutely amazing. Keith and Shiro really were like brothers, bickering over the silliest things, while Pidge took jabs at both of them.

 

Keith never moved from his spot on the couch, and eventually Lance ended up laying down on the rest of it, his head consciously not touching Keith’s thigh while his legs dangled over the arm rest on the other end. Shiro sent Pidge home after Lance’s first hour there, realizing that they were probably not going to be getting any more clients that night.

 

Slowly, as Lance fidgeted around (as Lance is known to do), his head inched along the couch until is was just barely pressing against the side of Keith’s thigh. He froze when it happened, and Keith did too, their conversation pausing for barely a heartbeat, though it felt like years to Lance. Then Keith picked up where he left off, and if he sounded a little more breathless than usual, Lance chose not to comment on it.

 

Soon it was midnight, and Shiro decided to call it a night and close up shop, which meant it was time for Lance to go. 

 

With a sigh, he rolled himself off the couch and stood up, stretching his arms above his head and slowly bending backward, relishing in felling the little pops along his spine.

 

“Keith,” Shiro’s voice cut the quiet, and both he and Lance looked up. Shiro smirked, and wiped his thumb under his bottom lip. ‘ _You’re drooling’_ the gesture said.

 

Keith made a rather embarrassing sound, and when Lance turned to look he was glaring daggers at Shiro, though one hand was raised to wipe at his mouth anyway. His cheeks were pink again. 

 

“C’mon, Lance,” Shiro clapped the young man on the shoulder, “you can go out back with us, we share parking with the Cafe and the Bakery.”

 

“Right,” Lance breathed, watching as Shiro passed by and Keith followed. He shook himself, then trailed after them through the back and out into the muggy night air. Keith immediately shed his sweat shirt, toned arms glowing in the street lights as he tied the material around his waist. Lance watched with rapt attention, barely catching himself before Keith turned to regard him. “So, uh…thanks for letting me hang out,” he scratched the back of his head, his other hand finding its way into his jeans pocket.

 

“Any time,” Keith replied, a small smile playing around his lips. Shiro waved at them, put on a helmet, and got on the nicest motorcycle Lance had ever seen. He started it up, the machine purring quietly, and headed off down the street.

 

“Woah…” Lance’s eyes followed Shiro as far as they could, then looked at Keith, impressed. “How can someone be so cool?”

 

Keith grinned and shook his head. “I know, it baffles me sometimes. I thought cool guys like that were always jerks. But Shiro’s really something else. I mean, he puts up with me, so that’s saying something.”

 

“What do you mean he ‘puts up with you’?” Lance asked.

 

“I wasn’t always the easiest person to get along with,” Keith murmured, shifting from one foot to the other, “when his dad first took me in, I lashed out at everyone around me. Blamed them all for my pain. It was…rough. I was rough.” He sighed and crossed his arms, his head tilted back to look at the sky. “They never gave up on me, though. I went to a lot of counseling, and I resented that for a while too, but now I’m a much better person.”

 

“You must think I’m pretty rotten for leaving my family like that,” Lance spoke quietly, shame coloring his face.

 

“What? No! How could you think-“ Keith stopped to take a breath, leveling Lance with a serious gaze. “ _They_ left _you_. And I agree with Pidge. Your parents suck.”

 

Lance burst out laughing, his hand coming down from his head to press against his chest, “well, I guess that makes it official!” He glanced at Keith, and sobered up pretty quickly, his face sliding from a grin to awe. Keith’s face was flushed, his posture stiff, but the fond look in his eyes and the little private smile on his lips made Lance feel warm all over. “Keith…” he breathed, without even realizing it.

 

“Yeah?” Keith snapped out of his reverie at the gentle sound of his name, and Lance jumped at being addressed so suddenly. He then realized what he’d done and ducked his head, carding his hands through his fingers in nervousness.

 

“I, uh…” Lance cleared his throat, and almost just said ‘good night’, but steeled his nerves. He was out, and now he had to know. “I didn’t make you…uncomfortable…did I? When I told you guys I’m Bi?” He averted his gaze, afraid to see something negative on Keith’s face.

 

“Why would that make me uncomfortable?” Keith asked, “I’m actually kind of…relieved, I guess? That sounds weird.”

 

Lance met Keith’s eyes. “It does sound kinda weird, why would you be relieved?”

 

Keith paused for a moment, indecision and fear flitting across his face, before he rolled his eyes, “‘Cause I’m gay, and you…you’re like…super hot, and I’ve been wanting to ask you out since the _first moment I laid eyes on you_.”

 

Lance choked, then coughed, then laughed. “Oh my…oh my god, really?” Keith looked torn between horrified and pissed, so Lance hurried to explain. “No, wait,” he blurted, “my first day at the Bakery, I was in the back cleaning and you came in to pick up your usual.” He waited for Keith to remember, but only got a blank look instead. _‘Oh, right. He didn’t see me that day.’_ “It was the day before I met Shiro,” at that the light went on in Keith’s mind. “I heard your voice, and…ugh, this is embarrassing, but…I just- I knew I HAD to meet you because your voice is super sexy and…” Lance trailed off, the bright smile blooming on Keith’s face derailing his thoughts for a moment. He continued shortly after, his voice a bit quieter, “I tried, for like two weeks, to catch a glimpse of you, but I was always off running an errand or on my break whenever you came in. And then I embarrassed myself so bad when I finally got to meet you!” Lance laughed nervously at that, “I was so…you were - are so, so hot, and I totally lost my cool the minute I saw you, obviously. I dumped a whole tray of pastries on the floor!” he chuckled again, self depricatedly, and looked down at the ground.

 

Silence surrounded them for a minute, then two. Slowly it stretched into three, when Keith cleared his throat. “So.”

 

“Umm….”

 

“Can I take you to dinner?” Keith blurted out, cheeks red and hands trembling.

 

“Yes,” Lance answered immediately, his face stretched into the happiest smile Keith had seen on him to date. “When?”

 

“Is right now too soon?” Keith asked hopefully.

 

“Oh, man. As much as I’d love to right now, I have to be back here to help open the Bakery, so…” Lance frowned, now very sad to say good night to Keith, who grinned back at him. 

 

“I kinda figured. I’m off Sunday, how about then?” Keith was definitely trying for casual, but he wasn’t pulling it off very well.

 

Lance smiled, “Sunday it is, then.” He took a step toward Keith, then abruptly stopped. What would be appropriate to do? A hand shake? A hug? Definitely not a kiss, not yet - despite how much Lance was dying to do that right now. Keith seemed to sense his indecision, and he reached out to grasp Lance’s hand, giving it a gentle squeeze before letting their hands drop to their sides. “So, I’ll see you tomorrow?” Lance asked with a shy smile.

 

Keith smiled back, “yeah, tomorrow. Good night, Lance.”

 

“Good night, Keith.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my gosh you guys. I never expected to get ANY Kudos or comments on this fic, and I'm THRILLED at the response so far!
> 
> Seriously, I love all of you. Weather you're just reading, or if you've given Kudos or posted a comment, I love you. Thank you so, so much. <3


	4. Chapter 4

Somehow, despite being out until nearly 12:30 in the morning, Lance woke refreshed, and made it to the Bakery early the next morning. He knocked on the back door, knowing Shay dropped Hunk off at some ungodly hour before going back to bed until it was time for her to come in, and grinned at the larger man’s surprised face when he saw Lance on the other side.

 

“You’re early this morning,” Hunk commented as he moved aside to let Lance in. 

 

Lance giggled. Yes, he actually _giggled_ , and slipped past Hunk into the back of the bakery. “Yea I know.” His cheeky reply was met with a raised brow, but Lance was already off to the locker area to don his apron. 

 

Hunk pursed his lips, following Lance with his eyes. “What happened last night?”

 

“Nothing,” Lance replied, “but I can tell you what happened _this morning_.”

 

“This _morning_? How late did you stay over there!? Did you get any sleep? Or are you hopped up on energy drinks or something?”

 

“Ew, gross. Such foul drink would never touch my lips, Hunk.” Lance crossed his arms indignantly, then grinned again. “Yeah, I got sleep. Shiro closed up at midnight and I left around 12:30. So, y’know, _this morning_.”

 

“Oh. _Lance_.” Hunk’s exasperated tone seemed to have originated in his toes, it was so deep.

 

“Yea, yea. Anyway.” Lance giggled again, hopping up on the balls of his feet. “Keith asked me out! He’s taking me to dinner Sunday!”

 

Hunk’s demeanor immediately changed, a huge grin spreading across his face. “Hey! That’s great! Took you long enough,” he muttered the last part as he gave Lance’s shoulder a firm pat before heading back to the kitchen and the morning’s baking.

 

“Uh…” Lance furrowed his brow, “long enough for what?”

 

“Dude,” Hunk sighed, “he’s been pining for you since you met. Don’t tell me you didn’t notice.”

 

Lance blushed, “uh, no. I didn’t.” He squared his shoulders as a thought came to him, “but Keith didn’t notice _my_ pining either, so we’re equally oblivious.”

 

“I wouldn’t be so proud of that fact.”

 

“Yeah, well…yeah no you’re right.”

 

Hunk burst out laughing, and had to take a step away from his work station to calm himself down again. Lance grinned, then checked his watch. “I’m gonna get some coffee from next door, want something?”

 

Hunk shook his head, “nah, I remembered to prep mine last night, but if you get one for Coran he’ll love you forever.”

 

“Sweet. Love bribes. Can never have too many of those. Be right back!” Lance pushed through the swinging doors, unlocked the front door, and sauntered over to the cafe.

 

Hunk was right again, Coran vowed to love Lance forever, as long as he kept bringing coffee.

 

****

 

_Ding!_

 

“Keith! Hi!” Lance beamed from behind the counter, waving at his…friend? Love interest? Boyfriend? No, not boyfriend. At least not yet. Whatever, his _Keith_.

 

“Hey Lance,” Keith was more subdued in his greeting, “did you get enough sleep last night?”

 

Lance shrugged, “probably not, but I’m kinda floating on clouds right now so I can’t really tell.” He winked at Keith, but he must have missed the gesture because he frowned.

 

“Floating on clouds? Are you okay?” Keith’s brows furrowed in concern as he made his way closer to the counter and Lance.

 

“Oh, yea! Y’see there’s this guy…” Lance grinned, wiggling his eyebrows.

 

“A…guy?” Keith did not sound impressed.

  
Lance quirked his brows. Did Keith not know how to flirt? “Yeah. He’s taking me out to dinner on Sunday. Super hot. He’s a tattoo artist, you know.”

 

Understanding bloomed on Keith’s face, and he grinned, pink dusting his cheeks. “Sounds like fun,” he panned, “hope he takes you somewhere good.”

 

“Anywhere would be good, it’s the company I’m excited about.”

 

Hunk chose that moment to walk through the swinging doors, “dude, your flirting was much cuter when you were both oblivious. Now it’s just nauseating.” He pushed past Lance to do something on the cash register. Lance stuck his tongue out at him, and Hunk grinned.

 

“You’re just jealous,” Lance teased.

 

“No way man. I’ve got Shay, and that’s it for me.”

 

“I think I just got a cavity,” Lance moaned, clutching at his jaw. Keith laughed at their antics. “So the usual, as usual?”

 

“Yeah, and toss in Allura’s too. She’s on her way over. Shiro’s touching up one of her pieces,” Keith replied, looking over the pastries on display in front of him.

 

“Coming right up!” Lance busied himself with gathering the four treats, waving at Hunk as he headed out back with an announcement that he was off to Publix. “So…since you brought it up, or maybe I did…anyway. Where are we going on Sunday?”

 

Keith made a slightly panicked noise, and Lance giggled behind the counter. “I uh…I haven’t…Shiro’s…ugh.” He took a deep breath and started again. “I haven’t been on a date in…I don’t even remember, so I was going to grill Shiro today and see what he recommends. Unless you have somewhere you’d like to go?”

 

“I really don’t know the area well enough, but it’d be nice to try something local,” Lance replied, grabbing the last pastry and gently placing it in the bag. He folded down the top, and moved around the counter to hand the bag over to Keith. “Here you go.”

 

Keith took the bag, deliberately covering Lance’s hand with his own in the process. He held on for a few moments, then let Lance’s hand slip out of his grip, leaving him with the bag. “Thanks. Yea I’m sure we can find a neat local place.” He glanced toward the door, then looked back at Lance. “I’d ask you to come hang again tonight but,” he grimaced a bit, “we’re booked solid tonight, and it’s Friday so i’m sure we’re gonna have tons of walk-ins too.”

 

Lance smiled and shrugged, “no worries. I couldn’t tonight anyway. I’ve got laundry to catch up on, and some chores I missed yesterday.” He waved his hand, nonchalant, no big deal.

 

“Oh, sorry about tha-“

 

“Keith. No. I came to hang out because I wanted to, and I had fun. That’s the first time I’ve just… _hung out_ with people since I got here, and I’d miss all my chores for that. “ Lance blushed then, “and if I get asked out too, well that’s a pretty nice bonus.”

 

Keith smiled and shook his head. “Yeah, okay.” He paused, bit his lip, unsure how to leave now.

 

Lance blinked, “hand me your phone, unlocked please.” He held his hand out expectantly.

 

Keith raised a brow, but did as asked, pressing his thumb to the home button and unlocking his phone before he passed it to the young man. Lance took it gently and began tapping on it with his thumbs. After a minute, he exited what he was doing, locked the phone, and handed it back with a murmured ‘thanks’.

 

Just then, a strange _vworp vworp_ was heard and Lance jumped, crimson staining his cheeks as he blushed.

 

Keith gaped, “was that…the T.A.R.D.I.S.?”

 

Lance’s eyes bugged out. “Uh, YES. Dude. Please tell me Matt Smith was your favorite Doctor.” He pulled his phone out of his back pocket, thumbing the sound/vibrate switch to vibrate before sliding it back where he got it from.

 

“No, David Tennant.”

 

Lance regarded Keith for a moment. “Eh, I can work with that.”

 

“Wait, what?” Keith spluttered, “did you just _second guess_ me based on which Doctor I liked?”

 

“Yes, I did.”

 

“-fair enough.”

 

Lance laughed and grabbed Keith’s shoulder as he walked him to the door. “If I don’t get back to work, Coran’s gonna count this as my lunch. See you later?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

****

 

Lance ended up having to put his phone in his locker. Every time he had a minute he found himself pulling it out and staring at Keith’s name in his contacts. He managed to keep himself busy enough to forget about his phone until the end of the day, when he got a text from Keith.  He  had just turned on his car when he heard the _vworp vworp s_ ound indicating he had a text. 

 

**Keef**

Hope you had a good day. Shiro told me to text you. I’m not very good at this stuff so, yea.

 

Oh, about Sunday. Can I pick you up at 7? 

 

Lance grinned like a fool and clutched his phone to his chest. He took a few deep breaths before reading the texts again and typing a reply. 

 

**Lancey Lance**

It was a GREAT day, because I got to see you! You don’t have to be good at this, as long as you’re you, ok?

 

And yea, 7 is good!

 

He sat, debating if he should wait for a reply or head home, when a tap at his window had him nearly jumping out of his skin. He shrieked and spun toward the sound, eyes locked on amused violet. Wait. Keith’s eyes were _violet_. With a sigh, he rolled down his window. 

 

“Dude, if you scare me to death now I won’t be able to make our date,” Lance quipped, mock scowl melting into a smile at Keith’s apologetic look. 

 

“Sorry, I though you saw me coming.”

 

“What are you doing out here?”

 

Keith blushed, “I told Shiro I was stepping out for some air.” He then bit his lip. “I actually came out to see if you were still here. I have a few minutes before my next appointment and wanted to see you before you went home.”

 

The stupidest, goofiest smile spread across Lance’s face. “Keith...”

 

Keith ducked his head, rubbing his mouth with a palm. “If you do that I’m gonna wanna kiss you,” he murmured.

 

Lance’s grin turned sly, “hmm, I don’t think I’d have a problem with that,” and tilted his head in invitation.

 

“…oh.” Keith took a deep breath, arms resting on the open window of Lance’s car, and leaned forward slowly. “Can I…?” he asked, breath ghosting against Lance’s lips. His eyes were locked on to Lance’s, anticipation shooting down his spine.

 

“Yeah,” Lance breathed, and closed the distance between them. It was a chaste kiss, a simple press of lips against lips, but Lance felt a jolt run through his whole body at the contact. His eyes slid closed, and he tilted his head a little more, encouraging Keith to deepen the kiss if he so wanted. Keith pressed forward, nose brushing against Lance’s, tongue pressing along-

 

“Hey! Keith!”

 

Both boys jumped apart, and Keith straightened up, only to bang his head against the top of Lance’s car. “Ow! Shit…” He managed to straighten up and glare toward the door. “What, Pidge?” he bit out, rubbing his head, anger replacing embarrassment. Lance tried to shrink into his seat, cheeks crimson at being ‘caught’.

 

“Quit making out. Your appointment’s here,” Pidge sassed and went back inside, the door banging closed behind them.

 

Keith sighed, still rubbing his head as he muttered a few choice words toward the now absent Pidge. He bent down to lean against Lance’s door again, an apologetic smile on his face. “Guess I need to go. You working tomorrow?”

 

Lance shook himself, and smiled back at Keith. “I actually have tomorrow off, surprisingly. Call me when you’re done?”

 

Keith frowned, “that may not be until two or three in the morning, are you sure?”

 

“Yeah, I’m sure.” Lance leaned forward and kissed Keith, catching the other by surprise. “Don’t forget!”

 

“Don’t worry, I won’t,” Keith laughed and took a step back. “Bye Lance,” he waved, then jogged back to his shop’s door and disappeared inside. Lance brushed his fingers against his lips, and smiled. Keith kiss him! And it was _good_! He relished the thought for another moment, then shook himself to focus, and drove home.

 

****

 

_VVVRRRRRRR VVVRRRRRRR_

 

Lance’s phone buzzed against his chest, waking him almost instantly. He glanced first at the time (2:45AM, what the-?), then at the caller ID. _Keith_. He scrambled up, relishing in a full body stretch and yawn before answering, “hey you!”

 

“Lance, I woke you up, didn’t I?” Keith sounded mildly put-out.

 

“No! Of course-“ Lance cut himself off with a yawn, “yeah ok. You did, but it’s okay!”

 

“No it’s not, I-“

 

“ _Keith_. It’s ok. I fell asleep on the couch scrolling through Tumblr, I wasn’t tucked into bed or anything.” Lance shuffled his way into his tiny kitchen. He pulled out a glass and filled it with water from the tap, downing it quickly and filling it up again. “So how was the rest of your day? Meet any cool people?”

 

Keith sighed, “ok, ok.” There was a shuffle on the line, like rustling fabric. “Yeah, I met a few interesting people. I can’t really talk about it though, Shiro’s pretty strict about confidentiality and stuff.”

 

“Oh, yea. That’s cool.” Lance sat himself at his little breakfast bar, sipping his second water and propping his elbow on the counter. “So what are you doing now? Driving home?”

 

“Nah, I’m hanging out behind the shop. I don’t like to drive while talking on the phone.”

 

“Aw, man. I’m sorry, I figured you’d call on your drive or when you got home.”

 

“It’s ok. The walls are real thin at my apartment, so I try to keep as quiet as possible with my late hours. Besides, I like it here after everything closes. It’s…peaceful.”

 

“Oh.” Lance’s brain was still trying to wake up, so he was having a hard time coming up with things to say. “So uh, you guys gonna be busy tomorrow too?”

 

“Kinda. It’s gonna be pretty steady all day, but nothing booked up super busy. If you’re all caught up on those chores you missed the other day, and you’re bored, maybe you can come chill for a while? Y’know, if you want to…”

 

“Yea, I’d like that.”

 

“Awesome. Hey, I don’t wanna keep you awake for too long, and I’m starving, so I’m gonna get going ok?”

 

“Right! Yes, of course. Go eat, please. I’ll see you tomorrow…well, later today I guess,” Lance chuckled.

 

“Yes. Later today. Good night, Lance.”

 

“Good night, Keith.” Lance thumbed the ‘end call’ icon, and stared at his phone for a good minute, butterflies somersaulting in his stomach. _Keith called him._ He stayed late at the shop and called Lance because Lance had asked him to. He didn’t think he’d be able to sleep now, but he dutifully finished his water and went through his night-time routine. By the time he was climbing into bed, the familiarity of the routine had him yawning again, eyes drooping closed. He fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I cannot thank you all enough for your Kudos and Comments! It's amazing to me that people actually like what I write.
> 
> Anyway! Answer me this: What do you think of the title? I titled it 'Downtown Bakery' for lack of a better idea (I think I mentioned it, but maybe just on my Tumblr, that I had another title but it was based on the old name of the area I based the story in, so it wouldn't make sense anymore)
> 
> So! Are you thinking of a better title? Let me know, and maybe I'll use it instead, and give you credit for it!
> 
> <3<3


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I bumped the rating up to mature, cuz' it's gonna go there! Soon!
> 
> Also, no date yet!

Lance tilted his head, regarding himself in his mirror, and frowned. This was the third shirt he’d tried and he still wasn’t satisfied. He let out a disgusted grunt and pulled his shirt off, tossing it on the bed with the others. He looked through his available options, passing over the outfit he’d chosen for his and Keith’s date tomorrow, and sighed. He was just going to hang out, why was this so hard? He went back to the shirts on the bed and picked up the first one he’d grabbed that morning. Of the three, it was the simplest. A plain grey v-neck tee that fit just right around his shoulders and was just loose enough around his torso to barely cling. It was one of his favorites. “Bah, whatever!” He put it back on, checked himself, and grinned. With the bright colors of his little sister’s friendship bracelets on one wrist (he still couldn’t bear to cut them off), his second-best pair of jeans (the best-best were saved for tomorrow, duh), and the loose-knit beanie the same blue as his eyes, he felt ready. 

Too bad it was barely noon, so the shop would have just opened. Lance didn’t want to appear too eager, and he also didn’t want to stay too long. He figured he’d ‘swing by’ around four, and stay until they got busy, or until Shiro or Pidge asked him to leave. Either way, that left him almost four hours to kill, and his apartment was already spotless. He flopped onto his bed with a huff. He could veg on the couch and watch Netflix for a while. Nah, if he did that he’d get sucked into some series and forget to leave the house. He spread his arms and legs in a full-body stretch, then rolled himself back up to his feet. He took the time to put his clothes away, knowing he’d regret that later, stuffed his phone in his pocket, and headed to the living room. 

Shoes on, phone and wallet in pockets, and keys in hand, Lance headed out the door and to his car. There were plenty of things to waste time on at the strip, and it was a beautiful day.

****

The park behind the strip, officially called ‘The Landing’ was packed with people. Fortunately his spot at the Bakery hadn’t been taken, so he didn’t have to hunt for a parking spot in the chaos. He wandered over, checking out some of the booths set up around the park. Music was playing, and a few food trucks were parked in the grass. He noticed way more women than men around, and almost all of them with a baby, toddler, or both either strapped to them, in a stroller, on a hip, or holding a hand. What was going on today? He found his way to the ‘main entrance’ of the park, and saw a registration booth.

A young mom stood behind the table and smiled as he approached. “Hi! Would you like to donate to our local La Leche League today?”

Lance smiled back, but didn’t jump at the chance to donate. “Sorry, I don’t know what that is. Is that what’s going on here today?”

The woman grinned. “La Leche League is a volunteer breastfeeding support organization. It’s world breastfeeding week and this is our Live, Love, Latch community fundraiser.”

“Oh, yeah! My mom was part of that.” Lance frowned for a moment, but shook the sadness away. “Yeah I’ll donate.” He dug out his wallet and pulled out a ten to hand to the woman. “Hey are the food trucks any good?”

She accepted the bill and looked over, “oh, yea. For sure. Go eat at that red one over there. Ask for the sampler, it’s amazing. Kimchi rice balls, lumpia, and your choice of bahn mi. I recommend the shrimp.” She tucked the money away and smiled again. “Thanks for donating!”

“Yea, sure! Thanks for the tip, I’m starving.” Lance waved and wandered over to the indicated food truck. There was a line, and that was always a good sign. 

And yea, that sampler was definitely amazing.

 

Lance wandered around the event for a while, checking out booths and enjoying the breezy weather while he waited for his self-appointed time to visit Keith. Unfortunately, the event ended at two, so Lance had another two hours to kill. He wandered toward the strip, slipping through one of the few little alleys between buildings to the fronts of the shops. He wandered down to the right, toward the other end from Altea and Voltron, ducking into shops to look around as he felt like it. Once he felt he’d wandered enough, he headed back the other way and ducked into the Bakery for a snack.

“Welcome to Altea, oh hey Lance!” Shay was behind the counter, arranging a tray of cookies for the display case.

“Hi Shay, how’s the day?” Lance grinned, “hey that rhymed!” He walked up to her, bending forward to check out her cookies for the day.

“It’s going pretty good.” She slid the tray back into the case, “kinda slow for a Saturday, but school just started so most of the tourists have gone back home.”

“Yeah. Hey these cookies look great Shay.”

“Thanks Lance. I was planning to teach you one of these designs next week if you like.”

Lance brightened, jumping up to flash his grin at Shay. “Really? Aw, Shay! You’re the best.”

Shay smiled back and waved off the compliment. “Are you here to visit us or Keith?”

“Ahh…you got me,” Lance ducked his head, “but I wanted to come say hi too!” He waggled his eyebrows, “and get a snack of course.”

“What’s your poison?” Shay took on a professional air, slipping on a disposable glove with flair.

“Hmm…” Lance tapped his chin, looking over the display cases critically, then stopped as he realized something. “Are you here by yourself? It sounds quiet back there.”

“Coran’s in the office,” she shrugged, “Hunk ran to Publix.”

Lance hummed as he kept looking. “I think I’ll have one of your pretty pretty cookies,” he decided. Shay smiled and picked one out, placed it on a napkin, and handed it straight to Lance.

“On the house.”

“Thanks, Shay,” Lance accepted the cookie and sat at the nearest table. 

“I’ll be back in a minute, can you keep an eye on the front?” Shay was already walking to the back when Lance called out in affirmation. He nibbled on the cookie while he sat, and pulled out his phone. He knew Keith, Shiro, and Pidge always got a pastry every day, so he didn’t want to get them another. He knew Keith’s preferred coffee, and decided to ask for the other’s as well.

Lancey Lance  
Hey, what do Shiro and Pidge like for coffee?

He set down his phone and kept munching on his cookie. He didn’t have to wait long for a reply, though, and his phone buzzed with an incoming text.

Keef  
Shiro takes his black, and Pidge has a special order next door. Just use their name. I stg they consume more sugar than their tiny body should be able to handle.

But they’ll be your best friend if you get them one

Lancey Lance  
OMG are you serious? Woah. Well I can definitely use the help to get Pidge to like me.

Keef  
For real. Took me five before they stopped scowling at me. See you soon?

Lancey Lance  
Nice. Yeah, see you soon.

Shay came back in to Lance grinning like a fool at his phone, and she chuckled. “Texting Keith? He’s only two doors down.”

Lance’s grin turned sheepish. “I was asking what Shiro and Pidge like for coffee so I could grab some on my way over.”

“Awww…” Shay sighed, hand on her chest. 

“Yea, yea, call the dentist,” Lance chuckled and stood. “I’m gonna get going.”

“Have fun! We’ll see you in the morning, yeah?”

“Yeah, see you then.”

Lance left the Bakery, and headed next door to the Cafe. He ordered two blacks, a cappuccino for himself, and laughed at the girl’s face when he asked for ‘the Pidge?’. Her eyebrows widened in shock before she glowered at him.

“That kid shouldn’t be drinking coffee, you know that right?” she sniffed in disdain.

“Uh…you do realize they’re older than they look? They work at a tattoo parlor.” Lance wondered why she was saying something to him, and realized she may have been afraid to confront Shiro, Keith, or especially Pidge, about her assumption of their age. 

She shook her head, “there’s no way she’s old enough for that.”

Lance glowered, “I don’t know about you, but I’d be wary to insult them with your opinion on how old they are. Now please, I just want the coffees I ordered.”

She blanched, and put in the order and gave him the total. Lance paid without a word, and moved down to the pick up counter. The manager was, fortunately, just coming out of the back. “Excuse me,” Lane called out to him.

“How can I help you?” He paused and turned to Lance, coming up to the inside of the counter.

Lance motioned to the girl at the register, now helping the next customer with a smile. “Is she new?”

The manager followed his gaze and nodded, “yes, she is. Is everything alright?”

Lance pursed his lips. “She hasn’t been properly informed about Pidge, is all.”

“Oh,” his eyes widened, “I’m glad you caught that and not them. I’ll make sure she knows before her shift is over today.”

Lance chuckled, “thanks.” The manager helped put his order into a carrier and handed it over, along with a small card.

“Pidge’s next coffee is free, ok? Just have them bring that card.”

Lance took the carrier in one hand and pocketed the card, “thanks, man. You didn’t have to do that, but I know they’ll appreciate it.”

The manager smiled and waved him off. Lance grinned and waved back as he walked out. He walked right in to Voltron Tattoo this time, and grinned at Pidge when they scowled up at him. “I scored you a free coffee!” he taunted, holding up the carrier, and their scowl melted into a smirk.

“New employee?” They bounced in their seat as Lance set the carrier on their desk and handed over the manager’s card, which they snatched from his fingers.

“Ah, so it’s happened before,” he pulled Pidge’s coffee out of the carrier and set it down next to their magazine.

“Every time he hires someone new and leaves the ‘Pidge talk’ to a regular employee, they think it’s funny to only teach them the Pidge coffee and let them figure out the rest.” Pidge grabbed the coffee and took a sip, letting out a satisfied sigh. “But it gets me free coffee so I don’t kick up as much fuss as I could.”

Lance shook his head and looked around the shop. “Where’s Shiro and Keith?”

“They’re both with clients in the private booths. I’ll bring them their coffees.” Lance handed the two coffees to Pidge, who wandered toward the back and ducked into one of the booths. “Lance got you a coffee.”

“Hi Lance! Thanks!” called Shiro.  
“You’re welcome,” Lance replied as Pidge moved to the other booth.

“Your boyfriend is here.” Pidge announced loudly, and jumped out before Keith could smack them.

“Hey, Lance!” Keith called from the booth.  
“Hi!” Lance called back. He picked up his own coffee and sat on the couch close to Pidge’s desk.

Pidge returned to their desk and sat back down, grasping their coffee with two hands to thoroughly enjoy it. “Did Keith tell you to bribe me with coffee?”

Lance chuckled, “he did suggest that it would warm you up to me.”

“He wasn’t wrong,” Pidge admitted, “coffee is my love language.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Lance leaned back and sipped his own coffee.

They chatted comfortably as the buzzing of the tattoo guns whirred in the background, getting to know each other more and finding they actually got along quite well. They talked about Lance working at Disney, Pidge’s brother Matt and his ‘top secret’ work on base, and how Pidge apparently also got the genius gene too.

“So, can I ask you why you’re here, doing tattoos, if you’re as smart as your super mega genius brother?” Lance dared to ask.

Pidge shrugged. “Eh, getting the ‘education’ required to work in all the cool places isn’t worth it to me. I don’t want to have to check the ‘female’ box, dress the part, and put up with sexism when I can work here, make cool art, and tinker with shit in my free time. Plus, I helped Matt with Shiro’s arm so I’m an on-hand tech whenever he needs a tune-up or has an issue.” They finished off their coffee and set it to the side, and someone came into the shop. Pidge perked up, standing to greet the new client and showing them something from a folder on their desk. “Take a look at this while I get my space set up.” They waved at Lance, who nodded back and pulled out his phone to pass the time while they were all occupied.

Lance shuffled around to lay down on the couch, head propped on one arm rest and feet dangling off the other as he opened the Tumblr app and began scrolling. Soon the added buzz of Pidge’s gun faded into the background and Lance’s eyes grew heavy…

 

A nudge to his shoulder jolted Lance awake. “Wha-?” He wiped at his face, glad to find no drool around his mouth. He looked up to Shiro’s grinning face and smiled back. “Hey Shiro.”

“Hi Lance. Thanks again for the coffee,” Shiro stood up, Lance’s empty cup in one hand, a bottle of water in the other. “I think Keith will be done in the next ten minutes.” He handed the water to Lance, who took it gratefully, and waved his hand toward the back door. “Bathroom’s down that way.”

“Thanks dude.” Lance yawned and scrubbed his face with his free hand, embarrassed he’d fallen asleep. Shiro shrugged and walked back into the booth he’d been working in, the sounds of rummaging and spritzing telling Lance he was cleaning the space. He cracked open the water and chugged half of it, getting the stale coffee taste out of his mouth, then stood up to stretch and made a bee-line for the offered bathroom.

Lance checked himself out in the small mirror, frowning at the unflattering lighting. He didn’t seem too disheveled, and the little bit of his hair that looked funny was easily covered by his beanie. Satisfied, he took the opportunity to relieve himself and wash his hands, splashing a little water on his face for good measure. One last check that he looked fabulous, and he went back to the couch he’d been hogging for the last, he checked his phone, hour. Just an hour, ok, that wasn’t too bad. He sat back down, afraid to get too comfortable and doze off again, and finished off his water.

Just a few minutes later, the buzzing in Keith’s booth finally stopped, and murmuring filtered in through the curtain. It was another five minutes before he emerged behind a young woman who was obviously flirting with him. Lance watched them interact quietly, curious to see how Keith would handle the situation. They made their way to the front, and when Keith’s eyes landed on Lance, his previously blank face brightened into a smirk. Taking the shift as encouragement, the girl reached out to grasp Keith’s arm, but he turned just out of her reach as if he’d meant to move that way all along. They stopped at the desk so they could settle the bill, and while she fumbled for her wallet Keith turned to Lance and reached out his hand to beckon him over.

Lance wasted no time to do as asked, standing and taking two long steps to come up beside Keith, a hesitant smile on his face.

Keith glanced quickly at the young woman, who was definitely watching, and winked at Lance. “Hey baby,” he murmured, arm sliding around Lance’s waist to pull him close, and stretched up on his toes, tilting his head in supplication.

Lance blushed at the pet name, but played along, a breathless “hi,” his response as he met Keith half way for a sweet kiss.

“Gross!” Pidge called out, not even looking up from their work, earning a chuckle from their client, and for Shiro’s head to pop out from the back. He grinned and shook his head before disappearing again.

Keith dropped back down and winked again, then turned to his client and picked up the card reader. The young woman handed over her card with a pout and a muttered, “of course.” She sighed, then smiled again as Keith swiped her card and handed it back. Lance backed off while they finished the transaction, but Keith caught his hand so he didn’t wander too far. He managed to rip both copies of the printed receipts off the reader one handed, and tucked the signed copy away when they were done.

“Enjoy the rest of your weekend.” Keith smiled politely as his client tucked her wallet back into her purse.

“Thanks. You too,” she replied, sounding a little disappointed, but smiled back anyway and waved as she left.

Once the door closed and the woman walked out of sight, Keith sighed. “Sorry about that, I didn’t know how to get her to stop without being rude, and you were there, and-“

Lance cut him off with another quick kiss, and grinned down at Keith. “That was fun,” he murmured, giving Keith’s hand a squeeze before lacing their fingers together. “Can I help you clean up?”

Keith blinked, and grinned back. “Yeah, sure.” He led Lance back toward the booth he’d been working in.

“Those aren’t sound proof.”

“Tell me something I don’t know, Pidge.”

“The molecular structure of iron is similar to-“

“Sarcasm, Pidge!”

With a huff, Pidge looked up at their client and rolled their eyes. “No appreciation, whatsoever.”

The client laughed, “I can tell.”

Keith had Lance put on a pair of the black disposable gloves with him, then handed over the spray bottle and paper towels. “I’ll get the sharp stuff, and you can wipe it all down after.” At Lance’s nod, Keith cleaned up the disposable trash and removed the needles from his gun. After a final check that all was clear, he jerked his chin at Lance to indicate his turn and walked out with the gun and needles.

Lance mimicked what he saw Keith do the other night, spraying all the surfaces before wiping everything down with the paper towels. Once finished, he set the bottle and roll back where Keith got them from and removed the gloves, tossing them in the trash. He turned to see Keith watching him, and smiled, hunching his shoulders.

“Watch out, I might have to keep you here to keep this place clean,” Keith commented. He tilted his head toward the front and wandered that way, and Lance followed. They ended up on the same couch as last time, this time right next to each other with Keith’s arm slung over Lance’s shoulder. Lance relaxed back while Keith slouched with his head resting on the back of the couch. “Oh, thanks for the coffee, I really needed it.”

“Any time,” Lance replied, turning to watch Keith relax. “Oh, hey.”

“Mmm?”

“I don’t have to work until noon on Monday, so we don’t have to worry about being out too late tomorrow.”

“Nice.” Keith cracked open his eyes to regard Lance, and something flashed in his eyes that made Lance shiver.

“Uh…yeah.” He squirmed a bit, suddenly nervous, and looked away. Keith gave his shoulders a gentle squeeze and sat up.

“My next appointment will be here soon, I’m gonna grab their folder.” Keith stood up, his hand sliding across Lance’s upper back as he made his way into the back.

“Okay.” Lance watched Keith go into the back, then settled back onto the couch.

The whole afternoon and evening went like that. Keith, Shiro, and Pidge consulted clients, made appointments, worked on stencils, tattoo’ed some people, and Lance helped them clean up. In between, Keith would sit with Lance on the couch, but only for a minute or so before he had to start on another task.

Before Lance knew how much time had passed, it was almost ten, and there still weren’t many, if any, walk ins. When Lance asked, Pidge shrugged, “tourist season is over.” Right, duh. Lance checked the time and sighed. He really should head home.

Keith read his look and nudged his shoulder. “C’mon, I’ll walk you out.”

Lance nodded and moved to follow Keith out the back. “‘Night guys.”

“Goodnight, Lance.”

“Later, Disnerd.”

Lance laughed at the insult, waved at the two, and left through the back door with Keith, who gave him an amused look as the door shut behind them. “Disnerd?”

“I was working at Disney before I moved here.” Lance shrugged.

“Yeah? What was your job there?” Keith perked up, interested in knowing more about Lance.

Lance grinned and leaned against the wall behind them. “Guest relations mostly. I was a tour guide sometimes, and others I just got to wander around and be available for help. My favorite was helping out Deaf people.”

“Why Deaf people?” Keith settled against the wall beside him, and their shoulders touched.

“I had some Deaf friends in school, and I learned ASL. So when I’d start signing to Deaf guests they’d be so happy, and would ask tons of questions, and I’d give them special little tours of whatever area I’d be in. My, uh…” Lance coughed, “my first boyfriend was a Deaf guest I met at Epcot.” He blushed at the confession, and cleared his throat. “That’s how my ex found out. We’d broken up, and he came to the park just to make a scene at me. He thought I ended it because he was Deaf, and tried to get me fired. All it did was get him kicked off property. She saw the whole thing, since we worked the same park and she happened to be close by, at just the right time.”

Keith took Lance’s hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “I take it she told your parents pretty quick after that?”

“She managed to wait a whole two days, I guess in consideration of the drama that outed me,” Lance chuckled, “but whatever. I went off topic. Disney was fun, but I’m enjoying it here a lot more.” He smiled over at Keith and squeezed back.

Keith didn’t smile back, but leaned forward to brush noses with Lance. “Can I?” he asked, and with a nod of assent, closed the distance and pressed their lips together. This kiss wasn’t nearly as sweet as the one they shared just hours before, but it was more firm and reassuring. Lance melted into the kiss, slouching more against the wall. Keith took the initiative and turned toward Lance, shifted to stand in front of him, and pressed his free hand to the wall beside Lance’s head. He ended up standing between Lance’s legs, as they were spread out and forward to bring him down level with Keith, and pressed in close. Lance’s free hand came to rest on Keith’s hip as he tilted his head to deepen the kiss. Keith licked at Lance’s lower lip, and groaned into Lance’s mouth when those lips parted to grant him access, which he did not hesitate to take advantage of. He licked into Lance’s mouth, sliding his tongue across the one he found in there, earning him a gasp from Lance. 

Keith shifted even closer, now pressing his whole body up against Lance’s as their kiss continued to heat up. Lance moaned at the sensation, and Keith rolled his hips forward with his own moan, realizing he had an erection and feeling an answering hardness from Lance, who froze and pushed Keith’s hips away.

Keith immediately backed off, physically taking a step back from Lance and taking a few deep breaths. “Sorry, sorry,” he swallowed and looked up at Lance, “are you ok?”

Lance was watching Keith in fascination, and smiled just a little. “Yeah, yeah, I’m just…uh…” he tugged on the hem of his shirt and looked away, “a little overwhelmed. I’m not…I haven’t…” he trailed off, biting his lip.

Keith frowned and took Lance’s hand in his again. “Hey, it’s okay. Lance, look at me.” He ducked his head to meet Lance’s eyes, and held his gaze, “this is all new to you, right?” At Lance’s nod, Keith smiled. “Right. Okay. We don’t have to do anything you’re not comfortable with, okay?” Another nod. “Okay.” He carefully stepped in close again, and pressed a gentle kiss on Lance’s lips. “Are you ok?”

Lance’s cheeks were deep crimson, but he nodded again. “Yeah, I’m ok. Thanks, Keith.” He smiled again and squeezed Keith’s hand. Keith squeezed back, and stepped back to pull Lance up. They walked together to Lance’s car, shared one more kiss, bade each other goodnight, and Lance got in his car and drove home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Up next: Chapter 6 - THE DATE! Ah!!!
> 
> Thank you again, for the kudos and comments, they give me life!


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The long-anticipated date!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter, guys. It got a little heavy. Not bad heavy! But...well, just a little bit heavy.
> 
> Fair warning, the rating's gonna go up to Explicit in the next chapter or so.

Lance swept into the Bakery the next morning thrumming with excitement.

 

“Lance, what’s got you so excited this morning young man?” asked Coran as said young man swept past him to his locker. Lance threw his apron on and turned to Coran with a grin.

 

“It’s date day!” he sang, hopping on his toes.

 

“Date day?”

 

“Keith’s taking him on their first date tonight,” Hunk cut in, ruffling Lance’s hair as he passed by.

 

“Hey!”

 

“He picking you up from here?” Hunk walked back over to his station.

 

“No, he’s picking me up at 7 so I have some time to go home and get cleaned up.” Lance grabbed the cleaning spray and a rag, and headed out to the front for the morning wipe-down.

 

The day seemed to crawl along and fly by at the same time. Lance’s break came up and he felt as if he’d been there all day already. He missed seeing Keith for their daily pastry run, but was glad to see a text from him when he checked is phone.

 

**Keef**

Hey. Did you want me to pick you up from your place? I’ll need your address if you do.

 

Do you like seafood? 

 

It’s okay if you don’t, but I know a place and it’s really good.

 

Also, I can meet you somewhere if you’d rather me not have your address, it’s cool.

 

Shiro told me to stop stressing and quit texting you, sorry if I’m bugging you.

 

 

Lance leaned against his locker and chuckled. He thought for a few moments, then typed up his replies.

 

**Lancey Lance**

Check my contact info, my address is already in there *wink*

 

Yes, I like seafood.

 

Tell Shiro I think it’s cute, and you’re not bugging me at all.

 

 

Lance pocketed his phone and grabbed his lunch, then hung up his apron before heading out back and to the park for his break. His phone buzzed as he crossed the street, and he waited until he was seated on his usual bench before checking it.

 

**Keef**

You’re sneaky. Okay, yeah, I’ll be there. Can’t wait.

 

**Lancey Lance**

Me either. See you then!

 

 

Lance spent his whole break grinning like a fool. He didn’t even taste his lunch, not that it was anything spectacular, but he barely even remembered eating it. He sat and people watched for a little while, but ended up going back early because he couldn’t stand just _sitting there_. He needed to keep busy.

 

Coran made sure Lance stayed very busy the rest of the day, having him help with the major prep for the upcoming week, which helped the rest of the afternoon fly by. Soon enough, the day was over and they were closing up the Bakery. Lance began to fidget again, and Hunk slung his arm around his shoulders.

 

“Relax, man. You already know he likes you,” Hunk soothed, giving Lance a gentle squeeze.

 

“I know, I’ve just…ugh I don’t know.” Lance ran a hand over his face and sighed. “I’ve never been on an actual date with another guy…before.”

 

Hunk hummed, but didn’t let go of Lance’s shoulders. “Is Keith your first boyfriend?”

 

“No,” Lance slumped his shoulders, “I’ve had one, before. But we never actually went on any dates.”

 

“Why not?”

 

“He’s Deaf, and didn’t like going out in public much, so we’d just hang out at his apartment or with his friends.”

 

Hunk nodded and let go of Lance’s shoulders after another squeeze. “Okay, cool. So this is your first guy date, that’s exciting right?”

 

“Of course! More because it’s Keith, but then again… _Keith_.” Lance grinned and bounced on his toes. “Oh! I can’t stay and talk, I gotta go! I gotta get ready!” He bade a laughing Hunk and grinning Coran goodbye, and did his best not to speed all the way home.

 

****

 

Lance looked at himself in the mirror, turning front to back, checking his outfit. He saved his best jeans for tonight, black skinnies that hugged him in all the right places. He topped it with a silky light blue button down over a black tank top. With a nod, he turned to face the mirror again, and gave his hair one final check - perfect. He moved to the living room to slip on his chucks, checked he had his wallet, phone, and keys, and checked the time. 6:57. Keith would be here soon. 

 

Lance sat on his couch and fidgeted with the cushions while he waited. He had to force himself not to keep checking his phone for the time, finally shoving it in his pocket to keep from messing with it. He waited for what felt like an eternity, when finally there was a knock at the door. He jumped and nearly fell off the couch at the sudden noise, then scrambled up and hurried to the door. He smoothed his shirt and took a deep breath, then opened the door and froze.

 

Keith stood just outside, and he looked even dreamier than when Lance first saw him. He was wearing light blue skinny jeans and a bright red t-shirt with the ‘Voltron Tattoo’ logo across the front. His hair had the same just-out-of-bed sexy vibe, and his face looked as gobsmacked as Lance felt his own was.

 

“Woah.” Keith was the first to shake himself out of their stupor. “Lance, I-“ he licked his lips and stuffed his hands in his pockets, “you look great,” he finally said.

 

Lance blushed and shrugged, while inside he was preening. “Thanks, you too,” he managed to get out with an even voice. He checked his pockets one more time, and satisfied he had everything, took a step toward Keith into the hall.

 

“Ready to go?” Keith asked, moving back to give Lance room. 

 

“Yeah, just need to lock up.” Lance turned the lock and pulled his door shut, and made sure to lock the dead bolt as well. “Okay, let’s go.” He followed Keith down to the parking lot and to his little blue coup. He blushed again when Keith unlocked and opened the passenger door for him, and slid into the seat with a murmured, “thanks.”

 

Keith smiled and closed the door once Lance was fully seated, and moved around to get in the driver’s seat.

 

“So, where are you taking me?” Lance asked as they buckled in.

 

“It’s a little place, kinda hole-in-the-wall, but it’s the best seafood around.” Keith started the car and pulled out, heading toward their destination. 

 

“I hope you didn’t have to go too far out of your way to come get me,” Lance started, “I didn’t even think about that.”

 

Keith shook his head. “No. Actually, I only live about five minutes from you.”

 

“Oh, nice.”

 

The rest of the trip was made in silence, but it wasn’t awkward or heavy. They each just enjoyed being with the other. Besides that, the trip wasn’t too long, and soon they pulled up to a-

 

“Is that a trailer?” Lance asked as Keith parked beside the place.

 

Keith ducked his head with a blush. “Uh…yea. But it really is very good.”

 

“Cool!” Lance was already unbuckling and stepping out. 

Keith heaved a sigh of relief. “Oh, yeah. Cool.” He got out and let Lance up the steps to the ordering window.

 

“Mullet! What’s up, man?” The man behind the counter called out, waving at Keith as they walked up.

 

“Hey Rolo. You guys staying busy?” Keith leaned his side on the counter, leaving room for Lance to approach as well. He pointed up above the window and told Lance, “the menu’s up there. I’ve tried everything, and it’s all good.”

 

Lance looked up, “thanks.”

 

Rolo looked from Keith to Lance, and back to Keith with a raised brow. “It’s been pretty steady. It’ll slow down more though before the snowbirds come down. How’s your cousin’s shop?”

 

“It’s good. The appointments are steady so we stay busy enough.”

 

“Cool, cool. So what can I get for ya tonight?”

 

“I’m gonna go for my usual.” Keith grinned and carded his fingers through his hair, at which Rolo laughed.

 

“Mullet dinner for the Mullet!” he called back into the kitchen, to which a chorus of ‘Mullet!!’ was heard in reply. “And for you?” Rolo turned to Lance.

 

“What’s your fish of the day?” Lance asked, to which Rolo pointed to the small chalkboard sign just to his right that read ‘Wahoo’. “Ah, right. Yeah, I’ll have the Wahoo dinner, with cole slaw and fries.”

 

“You got it. Any drinks?”

 

“Coke.” Keith and Lance both answered, and Keith chuckled while Lance blushed.

 

Rolo rolled his eyes and passed over two disposable cups. “That’ll be twenty-four thirty-four.”

 

Keith took the cup and pulled out his wallet to pay while Lance walked over to the drink dispenser. He handed over his card, and raised his brow at Rolo’s smirk. 

 

“He’s cute,” Rolo said as he took the card with a wink.

 

Keith raised his other brow and pinned Rolo with a blank look.

 

“Hey, I’m just sayin’ man, c’mon.” Rolo swiped Keith’s card. Keith kept his silence, but continued to stare the other man down. “Keith, man, I’m just making conversation.” He handed Keith’s card back.

 

“Your opinion was not asked for,” Keith averted his gaze as he tucked his wallet away.

 

“Yeah, I know.” Rolo sighed and walked back into the kitchen to help. 

 

Keith shook his head and joined Lance, who was watching curiously. He filled his drink and nudged his chin to the tables around the corner. Lance followed silently, and sat across from Keith.

 

“He’s an ex, and we’re usually pretty cool around each other,” Keith started, then bit his lip.

 

Lance knew there was more, but didn’t press Keith to continue if he didn’t want to. 

 

With a sigh, Keith looked up at Lance and shrugged, “but he’s a…player, and commented on your looks. It rubbed me the wrong way.” He lowered his gaze and frowned. “I should have taken you somewhere else, I didn’t even think about him being here…”

 

“Keith,” Lance reached out to grasp the other’s forearm and ducked his head to meet his eyes, “hey, don’t worry about him. He can look all he wants, but Lance doesn’t get played,” he waggled his eyebrows, and that startled a chuckle from Keith, who finally looked up at him again. “Hey there.” Lance smiled.

 

Keith smiled back. “Hi.”

 

“Order up, Mullet!” a different voice called out from the pickup window. Keith motioned for Lance to stay seated as he stood and made his way to the window to pick up their food. He picked up the two baskets and nodded to the guy who was now standing behind the counter. “Enjoy,” he said and turned back to the kitchen.

 

“Thanks.” Keith went back to his seat, setting the baskets down before seating himself again. “Here you go.”

 

Lance grinned and brought his basket closer, taking a whiff of his food and closing his eyes. “Thanks, it smells great!” They ate in companionable silence for a little while, before Lance’s curiosity got the best of him. “So, why do they call you Mullet?”

 

A bright blush was his only answer for almost a minute, then Keith cleared his throat and ruffled his own hair. “Besides the obvious?”

 

“That goes without saying,” Lance couldn’t hide the laughter in his voice.

 

“Yea, yea. They all thought it was funny that the guy with the mullet’s favorite fish was also mullet.”

 

“What? There’s a fish called mullet?”

 

Keith groaned and shook his head, “yes, unfortunately. It’s pretty abundant around here, the area is kinda famous for it. They even have a _Mullet Festival_ toward the end of October every year. Shiro always says I should go to be with my people.”

 

Lance burst out laughing, head tilted back and eyes closed. He laughed so hard tears leaked from the corners of his eyes. “Oh, oh man.” He wiped at his eyes as he took a few deep breaths to get back under control. “Dude that’s…harsh but so, so funny!” He dared to glance at Keith, ready to see him laughing along or slightly miffed at Lance’s amusement, but what he saw sobered him more quickly than a punch to the gut.

 

Keith was staring at Lance, mouth slightly open, eyes wide, a bright pink flush dusted across his cheeks. Lance doubted himself, but he thought Keith looked captivated. He cleared his throat and shifted in his seat, which broke Keith from his staring. “You ok?” Lance dared to ask.

 

Keith blinked, and blushed even brighter. “Oh, uh…yeah. I’m fine, really.” He sounded like he was more trying to convince himself than anyone else. They both felt the shift between them, and finished their meal quietly. Unspoken, they decided not to linger for very long after they’d finished eating, and soon they were cleaning up their space to make room for the next customers. No-one called out a good night from the window, to Keith’s relief, so they made a quick escape to his car and got in. Keith didn’t start the car right away, instead turning to Lance with a nervous expression. “I, uh…didn’t really have anything planned for after dinner, but I don’t want to end our date yet. Is there something you’d like to do? Or…?”

 

“You wanna come over and watch a movie? I have a kick ass coffee machine and, in my opinion, a pretty good DVD collection,” Lance suggested, carefully avoiding Keith’s gaze.

 

A smile spread on Keith’s lips at the offer, and he relaxed. “That sounds perfect.” Lance looked up, and smiled back. Keith started the car, and drove them back to Lance’s apartment.

 

 

 

Once back at the apartment, Lance led Keith inside and to the kitchen. He busied himself with making coffees while Keith sat himself at the small bar between the kitchen and living room. “My DVD’s are over there,” Lance pointed to the cabinet under the TV, “if you wanna go look and pick one out.” He pulled cream out of the fridge for himself and prepped his much with the cream and more sugar than he’d care to admit while the coffee machine warmed up.

 

Keith hummed and wandered back into the living room to kneel in front of the TV cabinet. He opened the cabinet to find a modest but varied collection of movies. “You know,” he called out, “I was expecting more Disney movies.”

 

“You’d think so, right? I do have more, but they’re all digital off Amazon,” Lance replied over the rather loud rumbling of his coffee machine.

 

Shuffling through the movies, Keith found one he’d been wanting to see but hadn’t had the chance (or really, excuse) to yet. “Got one.” He pulled it out and laid it on the small side table by the couch on his way back to the kitchen.

 

Lance looked up as Keith came back over, sliding s black coffee his way. “What’d you pick?”

 

“Jurassic World.” Keith wrapped his hands around the coffee mug and lifted it to his face to inhale its aroma with a satisfied hum.

 

Lance grinned as he started the machine for his own coffee. “Nice choice.”

 

“I haven’t seen it yet,” Keith admitted, “so don’t spoil anything for me.” He took a sip of his coffee and moaned out loud, leaning against the counter dramatically. “Oh my god, that’s amazing.”

 

“I know,” Lance grinned, stirring his coffee to blend the sugar and cream. He nudged past Keith into the living room and traded his coffee cup for the DVD and remotes, busying himself with getting the movie ready to play. As the menu booted up, he toed off his shoes and set them in their place by the front door, wiggling his toes happily and then placing the remotes back on the side table as he plopped onto the couch. “Sit wherever you like, make yourself comfortable.”

 

Keith removed his own shoes, placing them beside Lance’s, and joined him on the couch, resting his cup on one knee.

 

“Ready?” Lance held up a remote, pointing it to the TV. Keith nodded, and Lance pressed ‘play’.

 

They settled next to each other, sipping coffee, shoulders and hips touching. Keith had his legs stretched forward, ankles crossed. Lance had his feet tucked up under him, knees resting against the couch’s arm rest. When they finished their coffees, Lance placed them on the side table next to him, and leaned heavier against Keith’s shoulder, who took the opportunity to slide his arm around Lance’s shoulders. The longer they sat together, the closer they snuggled, until Lance turned into Keith to rest his head against his shoulder and wrap an arm around his waist, and Keith’s arm slid down to rest his hand on Lance’s hip. His fingers slid under the edge of Lance’s shirt and tank, gently caressing the skin just above his jeans.

 

Lance froze, tensing against Keith’s side. Keith stilled as well, then moved his hand up to the back of the couch. “Sorry,” he whispered. Lance wiggled a bit to sit up more and look at Keith.   
  
“It’s okay, I just-“ Lance frowned and averted his gaze, unsure of how to say what he was thinking.

 

Keith reached over to grab the remote and paused the movie. When he sat back, he put a little distance between himself and Lance so he could turn to fully face the other. “I’m not the best with communicating, or reading social cues. I’m sure you already know that.” He took a deep breath, and fiddled with his fingers. “But I do know that communication is really, really important in a relationship. I don’t want to make you uncomfortable, and I don’t want you to feel like I’m pressuring you or trying to take advantage of you. But, that means I need you to let me know if you don’t like what’s going on, no matter what it is.” He looked up at Lance expectantly, who blushed and nodded.   
  
“Yeah, I can do that. I didn’t mean to…I do want…ugh.” Lance dropped his face into his hands with an embarrassed groan. 

 

“Lance, you can tell me, I promise I won’t judge you, or belittle you. I know this is all new for you, and I want you to feel comfortable enough to talk to me about it.” Keith reached out and gently lowered Lance’s hands from his face, pulling them to his knees to hold them there. His grip was loose, ready to let go the moment Lance pulled them back. He didn’t.

 

Lance looked up again, and smiled a little. “I know, and I am. I’m just…nervous, I guess. I’ve never really talked about this stuff with anyone before. I guess…just…what are your expectations?”

 

“Expectations?”

 

“About us, or this? Or…sex, or whatever.”

 

Keith hummed in thought. “Well, I expect for us to get to know each other, and spend time together. Other than that, I hope I’ll get to kiss you again, because I really like that. I hope you’ll let me touch you more, like cuddling and stuff. And some day, when we both want it, I hope we’ll have sex too. But I’m not expecting those things.” Keith rubbed his thumbs over the backs of Lance’s hands absently.

 

“You’re not just saying that, are you? You’d really…wait for me to be ready?” Lance watched Keith nod with fascination. “Because I’ve never…done more than kiss a guy, before you. That’s actually why I…broke up with Steve. He didn’t want to wait, and wouldn’t take no for an answer.” Lance watched Keith’s eyes narrow, and squeezed his hands, “He didn’t do anything! I would have kicked his ass if he tried, deaf or not.”

 

“That doesn’t excuse his actions,” Keith huffed, returning the squeeze to his hands. “And weather you realize it or not, it’s affecting you now, with me.” Lance shook his head, but Keith cut him off, “it is. I’m not mad, or upset with you. I’m upset with… _him_ …for this. I want you to be comfortable with me, not nervous every time I touch you.”

 

Lance sighed. “You’re right.” He bit his lip, then came to a conclusion. “The thing is…I liked what you did, both times I shied away. And I wanted to keep going…I just…ah,” he shrugged, “well, I got nervous that you wouldn’t stop.” He ducked his head and hunched his shoulders, embarrassed. 

 

With another squeeze to Lance’s hands, Keith tugged a little until Lance looked back up at him. “I promise you,” he declared, “I will _never_ pressure you or force you. _Ever_. I was pressured to do things I wasn’t ready for in high school, and I wouldn’t wish that on anybody.” He braved a small smile in Lance’s direction. When he received one in return, his smile grew. “Can you trust me in this?”

 

Lance closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He was quiet for almost a minute, and Keith waited patiently for his decision. With another smile, he opened his eyes, blue meeting violet. “Yes, I trust you.”

 

Lance laughed as Keith suddenly pulled him forward into a tight hug. He squeezed back, his head resting on a firm shoulder as Keith’s cheek pressed against his hair. When they let go, Keith nudged Lance’s chin up with a curled finger and leaned in close, his eyes seeking permission to close the gap. Lance tilted his head and did just that, lips meeting in a short, chaste kiss. When they separated, Lance glanced at the TV, “did you want to finish the movie?”

 

Keith chuckled, “actually, yeah, if you don’t mind.”

 

Lance pretended to think about that while he leaned away to reach the remote. “I guess so, under one condition.”

 

“And what would that be?”

 

“We go back to how we were sitting before this very serious conversation happened.”

 

“Okay.”

 

It took a moment to get back to their previous positions; Lance draped against Keith’s side, legs tucked up, resting a cheek on his shoulder, arm draped over his middle; Keith’s arm draped behind Lance’s shoulders, legs stretched out and crossed at the ankle. They sat there for a few moments, Keith waiting for Lance to start the movie again. When he didn’t right away, Keith looked down, “umm, Lance?”

 

“Hmm?”

 

“The movie?”

 

“Uh, huh. Your hand’s in the wrong place.”

  
“My hand?”

 

With an amused snort, Lance reached up to grab the hand Keith was resting across the back of the couch and brought it back down to his hip. He even pulled his two shirts out from under Keith’s fingers so he was touching Lance’s skin. “There,” he murmured and un-paused the movie.

 

“…oh…” Keith blushed, his fingers automatically stroking the soft skin of Lance’s hip almost immediately. This time, Lance stayed relaxed, and they finished the movie just like that. When the credits began to roll, Keith shifted a bit and lifted his arms to stretch, but Lance didn’t move. With a frown, Keith nudged Lance’s shoulder, and was answered with a soft snore. His frown turned into an amused smile, _Lance fell asleep on him_! He should have felt awkward. Instead, he was relieved. Lance really did feel comfortable with him! He heaved a sigh, and looked around. There were three doors leading out of the living room. One was the front door, and he assumed the other two across the room were the bedroom and bathroom. Problem was, he didn’t know which was which. Another problem, they were both closed. And Lance was leaning on him. And he had to pee. Making up his mind with a shrug, Keith gently shook Lance’s shoulder. “Hey.” Lance grumbled and snuggled closer, the arm over Keith’s waist tightening. Keith rolled his eyes and shook again, a little harder. “Lance, wake up.”

 

“Hmm? Wha’?” Lance yawned and squeezed Keith’s waist again, pressing his face against the chest under his cheek. Keith gave another shake, and Lance froze. His eyes popped open wide and he quickly sat up with a blush. “Shit, sorry. I hope I didn’t drool all over you.” He wiped at his mouth, relieved to find it relatively dry.

 

Keith chuckled and shook his head. “No, it’s okay. I didn’t mind. I, uh…where’s your bathroom?”

 

Lance pointed to the door closest to the kitchen, “right in there.”

 

“Thanks.” Keith stood up, stretched again, and walked over to the indicated door, going right in and closing the door behind him. Lance stood and stretched as well before shuffling into the kitchen for a glass of water. He went ahead and filled a second for Keith, and set it on the bar. He rinsed out his mouth, hating the cottony post-sleep feel, then downed the rest of his glass. He filled it up again and rested his hip against the counter as he slowly sipped this time. Keith joined him shortly after, picking up the other glass and downing it quickly. Lance offered to fill it again, but Keith declined. 

 

Lance glanced at the clock on his stove, and inwardly groaned. “I can’t believe I fell asleep, it’s not even eleven yet!” He set his glass aside and crossed his arms, annoyed with himself. He hadn’t even felt tired!

 

Keith stepped up in front of Lance, set his glass beside the other, and gently pried his arms apart. He pulled their hands down to their sides, and laced their fingers together. “I thought it was cute,” he murmured, eyes drifting to Lance’s lips.

 

“Yeah?” Lance shifted his stance, feet set more apart to make room for Keith as he gently tugged him closer.

 

“Mmhmm.” Keith’s nose brushed against Lance’s, followed by his lips doing the same. Lance’s eyes fluttered shut as he tilted his head for better access. Keith took the invitation and pressed their lips together. It wasn’t long before a tongue entered the mix, and the dam broke. Keith let go of Lance’s hands to firmly grip his slender hips, and Lance brought his up to tangle in Keith’s hair. Someone moaned, lips parted, and tongues clashed. Keith pressed in closer, their chests now touching, but had enough sense left to keep his hips away.

 

They kissed, well, made out for longer than either realized, harsh breaths and quiet moans punctuating the heat between them. Keith felt himself harden, and it was all he could do not to rut up on Lance, whose hips were straining against the strong grip keeping them still and apart. After another few agonizing minutes, Keith broke the kiss and rested his forehead against Lance’s. They were both panting, and Keith knew his eyes would be just as glazed as the blue looking back at him. He took a chance, asking, “can I?” and shuffled his hips closer, just barely pressing up against Lance, who bit his lip and inhaled sharply at the sensation. It was an agonizing few seconds, then Lance nodded. “Yes? Please, tell me.”

 

“Yes,” Lance whispered, then gasped when Keith firmly pressed their hips together. His aim was good, and their erections were lined up beside each other. Keith rolled his hips, sliding his hands up Lance’s back over his tank top but under his button-down. Lance groaned, his fingers gripping tight in Keith’s hair, which pulled a moan from the shorter man. Keith turned his head, ghosting his lips over Lance’s cheek down to his neck. He buried his face there, slowly thrusting his hips, seeking that delicious friction. Keith moaned again, but kept the pace slow, torturing himself as Lance clung to him panting.

 

Lance tugged on Keith’s hair again, pulling his head up for another kiss. They moaned in each other’s mouths, and soon Lance was thrusting his hips as well. He tried to speed it up, but Keith reached back down and held onto his hips to maintain their leisurely pace. Lance tilted his head back, breaking the kiss again to groan, “Keith…” That earned him another moan from said Keith, who returned to nuzzling the crook of Lance’s neck. Lance felt himself growing hot, and soon after that he began to feel overwhelmed. He stopped moving his hips and let go of Keith’s hair, his hands sliding down to gently push at his shoulders instead. “Ah…Umm…”

 

Keith took the hint and backed away. He was breathing deep, but smiled at Lance, thumbs rubbing gentle circles into his hips. They each took a minute to calm themselves down, just staring at each other and taking deep breaths, then Lance smiled back.

 

“You okay?” Keith had to ask, and Lance chuckled.

  
“Yeah, I’m good. Are you…uh…okay too?”

 

“Yes…? What?”

 

“Just, um…” Lance gestured to the obvious bulge at the front of Keith’s jeans.

 

Keith looked down and blushed, “oh. Yeah, I’ll be…fine…later.” He rubbed the back of his neck, and Lance snickered.

 

“Just wait ‘till you get home, yeah? Don’t jerk and drive.” Lance covered his mouth as soon as the words were out, but couldn’t contain his embarrassed laughter. 

 

Luckily, Keith joined in, letting out a chuckle of his own. “I can’t say I’ve ever tried that, or wanted to.”

 

Lance chuckled again, then quickly sobered. “Keith, I um…” he shuffled from foot to foot, eyes cast to the floor, “I don’t want you to think I’m jerking you around. So if…if you want to, um, not do…stuff, until I’m more comfortable, ready, to y’know…we can stick to just kissing, or whatever.”

 

“I know you’re not jerking me around,” Keith murmured, hand sliding up to Lance’s waist and back down to his hips. “I’m okay with whatever you’re comfortable with. Even if it means going home like this.”

 

Lance giggled, hands sliding down from Keith’s shoulders to his forearms. “Okay.” He leaned forward and pecked Keith’s lips. Keith smiled into the short kiss, and gave Lance’s hips one more squeeze before letting go to grasp his hands again.

 

“I think it’s time for me to go.” Keith squeezed Lance’s hands, and got a squeeze back.

 

Lance gave Keith a mock-pout, then sighed. “Yeah.” They stood there for a few more seconds, then Keith stepped back and gave Lance’s hands a tug before letting go and heading to the door to put his shoes on. Lance followed, fiddling with the locks while he waited for Keith to be ready. “Thanks for dinner, and hanging out with me. It…I had a really good time.”

 

Keith finished with his shoes and stepped up close to Lance. “It was my pleasure,” he murmured and gave Lance one more lingering kiss. Lance whimpered against Keith’s lips, grabbing his upper arms to keep himself upright. Keith pulled back with a smirk, and moved to the door, which Lance opened for him. “You said you work at noon tomorrow?”

 

“Uh, yeah. Yes. Noon, tomorrow.” Lance was a little dazed from that last kiss, and was grinning like a fool as well. “Will I see you?”

 

Keith’s smirk deepened. “Maybe.” He stepped out into the hall and shoved his hands in his pockets. “Good night, Lance.”

 

“Night, Keith.” Lance leaned against the door frame and watched Keith walk down the hall to the stairs. Keith glanced back just as he reached the stairs, and waved before he stepped down and disappeared into the stairwell. With a sigh, Lance closed the door and locked it. With a groan, he palmed his erection and debated what he should do about it. It took him far longer than he thought necessary to talk himself into taking care of it, and much less time to think of where. Deciding on a shower, he made his way to the bathroom to do just that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks, as always, for all your kudos and comments!! I'm feeling the love, I really am! <3<3


	7. Chapter 7

Lance took Keith by his word and took his time getting more and more comfortable with him. It was another three dates before they made out again like the first time, and the next four dates got progressively steamier, even without moving beyond hot kisses and a little frottage. Lance constantly worried that Keith would get frustrated with him and move on, a thought which Keith always vehemently protested and soothed with more kisses.

 

Another two months had flew by, and Lance knew he was falling hard for Keith. This was the one thought he hesitated to communicate with his boyfriend, all too aware that it really was too soon for such declarations. So he kept this secret to himself, and enjoyed the warmth the thought brought him until he felt ready to share it with Keith.

 

It was a Wednesday in the beginning of October, and Lance was hanging out at Voltron Tattoo after closing the Bakery. He and Keith were lounging on a couch while Pidge fiddled with some electronic thing Lance couldn’t recognize and Shiro was off running some errands, when his phone rang. He picked it up, frowning when he saw it was from a blocked number, and ignored it. When it rang again, with the same information, he grew worried and hesitantly answered the phone. “Hello?”

 

_“Ohmigod, Lance?”_

 

“Becca?” Lance sat up in a rush, surprising Keith and earning a glare from Pidge. His shoulders were tense and his tone rose in anger, “why the hell are you calling me?”

 

Keith rested a hand on Lance’s shoulder, causing him to startle and look over, eyes wide in apprehension. 

 

_“I know, but please listen. Your family is worried sick about you. We didn’t think you’d actually leave town! They just wanted to make a point, you know?”_

 

Lance growled, “no, I don’t know. Becca, they didn’t even _talk_ to me! I came home and my shit was sitting in the garage with a note. A _note_! How could you think running to my mamá was a good idea?” his voice broke over mamá, and his eyes welled with tears. He sniffled and squeezed his eyes shut, forcing the tears out to roll down his cheeks.

 

_“Oh, Lance…I’m so sorry, I-“_

 

“No. No, Becca. I don’t wanna hear it.” A sob escaped, and Keith pulled him into a hug. Lance curled into his solid chest and sniffled again. “If they wanna talk to me, tell…tell mamá to call me herself.”

 

_“It’s been six months, Lance. Aren’t you ready to come home?”_

 

Lance laughed, but it was a sad, wet sound. “I am home.”

 

_“Lance-“_ he thumbed the ‘end call’ icon and locked his phone, dropped it in his lap and wrapped his arms around Keith, crying into his shirt.

 

“Lance, oh Lance…” Keith held him close, gently rubbing his back with one hand while the other cradled the back of his head. Another hand landed on his knee, and he looked over to see Pidge sitting on his other side.

 

“I’m going to assume Becca is the ex who ratted you out. I told you. Road trip. Shank a bitch.” Pidge awkwardly patted Lance’s knee, then got up and returned to her tinkering.

 

Lance huffed, almost a chuckle, and slowly sat up. When he saw the wet mess he left on Keith’s shirt, he blushed, “sorry about that.”

 

Keith waved off the apology, “it’s just a shirt, I’ve got more.” He turned to Lance and cupped his cheek, “are you okay?”

 

“Yeah…no…kinda,” Lance sighed and looked down at his hands, now fiddling with his phone. “I just…it’s been six months. Why is she calling me _now_? I can’t help but wonder if something bad happened, but then mamá would have called herself.” He sniffled again, then stood up. “I’m gonna go wash my face.”

 

“Sure.” Keith watched him walk off. “Lance?”

 

Lance turned back, “yeah?”

 

“You know I’m here for you, no matter what, right?”

 

Lance smiled, and Keith smiled back. “Yeah, I know.”

 

“Okay.”

 

Lance went into the bathroom and turned on the tap. He looked in the mirror and choked out another laugh - he looked _ridiculous_. He spared a moment to blow his nose, then rinsed off his face with cold water. When he finished, he checked himself one more time, and deeming his face at least presentable again, dried off and returned to the couch and Keith, plopping down with a sigh.

 

“Feel better?” Keith slid an arm around his shoulders, and Lance leaned into him.

 

“A little,” he admitted. “I think I’m gonna go home in a minute though. Take a bath, try to relax.”

 

Keith hummed in agreement and reached up to card his fingers through Lance’s hair. “When’s your next day off?”

 

“Sunday, why?” Lance closed his eyes, enjoying the feel of Keith’s fingers running through his hair.

 

“Good. Me too. Let’s spend the day together, just hang out, do whatever,” Keith suggested, and Lance nodded, snuggling closer. “Okay. Can I walk you to your car?”

 

“Ugh, right, I was leaving.” Lance slowly got up and grabbed Keith’s hand to pull him up too. “Of course you’re walking me out, duh.” He linked their fingers as he waved to Pidge, “later Pidge.”

 

“Bye Lance.” Pidge didn’t even look up, but the lack of insult made Lance feel a little fuzzy. Pidge really could be nice, when they wanted to.

 

Keith led Lance out to their little back lot, stopping beside his car. “See you tomorrow?”

 

Lance smiled and leaned forward, resting his forehead against Keith’s. “Yeah.”

 

Keith brought up his free hand, resting it over the back of Lance’s neck. “Call me if you need me, ok?”

 

“I will.” Lance gripped Keith’s hip as his eyes closed, steadying himself. “Tomorrow will be a good day.”

 

“Yes.” Keith tilted up his face and pressed a kiss to Lance’s forehead. “Drive safe.”

 

“Thanks.” Lance stepped back, letting go of Keith, and got in his car. Keith waited as he backed up and drove away, watching until the little car disappeared around the corner.

 

When he turned back to the shop, he saw a small family across the street, staring at him. He waved, but the mother quickly gathered the two teenagers and walked off. The father lingered for a moment, locking eyes with Keith, then jumped at a sharp word from his wife and hurried after his family.

 

“Weird,” Keith muttered and went back into the shop.

 

****

 

Tomorrow was definitely NOT a good day.

 

Lance opened the bakery with Hunk and Shay, and Keith came an hour early so he could hang out while Lance took his lunch break. It was a rainy day, so they chose to stay in the bakery instead of sitting out at the park. They were sitting at a table tucked in a corner to stay out of the way, when the family Keith saw yesterday walked in. He spared them a glance, but didn’t think much of it, until Lance turned to see who came in and choked on his water.

 

The mother turned to them at the sound, and gasped, “hijo…” The others with her turned to look as well. The father’s face was a blank mask, but the twin teenagers looked visibly relieved. They took a step forward, but the father grabbed their shoulders to keep them still.

 

Lance’s hands began to shake as he slowly stood up. “Hi mamá, papá, Stella, Charlie.” He glanced at Keith, then locked eyes with his mother, waiting.

 

The woman’s face crumbled, and she lunged forward, grabbing Lance in a crushing hug. “Ay hijo...hemos estado bien preocupados por ti..” _(we've been worried sick)_

 

Lance slowly returned the embrace. “You could have called. I would have answered. I was so hurt, mamá, that note…”

 

Lance’s mamá straightened up and held Lance back by the shoulders to look in his face. “¡También nos lastimaste! Y para que Becca nos lo diga y no-” _(You also hurt us! And for Becca to tell us and not-)_

 

“For this very reason! I was waiting, until I could support myself and move out, so we could have a sit-down, civil, adult conversation about it.” Lance suddenly remembered where they were, spying Hunk and Shay hovering behind the display cases, worry etched in their expressions. “Please mamá, this is my work. I’ll meet with you somewhere private after…”

 

His mamá set her jaw and furrowed her brow. “No. ¿Porque no me contestas en Español?” _(Why won't you speak Spanish with me?)_

 

Lance’s papá stepped forward and placed a hand on his mamá’s shoulder. “Rosa,” he murmured, “we’re causing a scene.”

 

Rosa shrugged him off, but let go of Lance’s shoulders. “Fine, fine. We can go somewhere else. When do you finish?”

 

Lance gulped, “we close at five.” He gave his papá a grateful look, but took a step back from them.

 

“Okay,” his papá said, “will you meet us at our hotel?” At Lance’s nod, he smiled a little. “I will text you the information. Will you come alone?” He looked over at Keith, an unreadable look in his eyes. 

 

Keith stood up and took a step closer to Lance, whose eyes widened at the implication.

 

“They saw us when you left the shop yesterday,” Keith murmured, and Lance sighed.

 

“I’d rather not come alone,” he admitted to his papá. The older man nodded, face pinched, and pulled Rosa back toward the teenagers. 

 

“Okay. We will expect you at six.” His papá pulled Rosa toward the door, and nodded to the two teenagers behind him. They shot forward, pulling Lance into a group hug.

 

Lance laughed and wrapped and arm around each of them, squeezing tight. The girl, Stella, buried her face against Lance’s chest while the boy, Charlie, hooked his chin over Lance’s shoulder.

 

“We miss you, Lance,” Stella said quietly, and Charlie nodded.

 

“I know, I miss you guys too. So much,” Lance replied, leaning down a little to press a kiss on top of each of their heads. “I’ll see you at six, ok?” They reluctantly pulled away and followed their parents out the door.

 

Once Lance’s family was out of sight, he collapsed back into his chair and buried his face in his hands. Keith kneeled beside him, warm hands resting on his thigh, while Hunk and Shay rushed toward them.

 

“Lance, oh honey, are you okay?” Shay asked, one hand stroking over his hair while the other rested on his shoulder. Hunk kneeled on his other side, one large palm covering his knee.

 

“I’m okay,” Lance said quietly, lifting his head to look at the three people around him. He smiled gratefully. Shay gently hugged him while Hunk patted his knee.

 

“Can you stay and work? Or do you need to go clear your head?” Hunk asked.

  
“I’m gonna stay. I need to keep myself busy so I don’t freak out.” Lance’s hands were still shaking, and he reached out to grab Keith’s hands to steady himself. Keith held his hands tight and rubbed his thumbs over Lance’s knuckles.

 

“Okay, buddy.” Hunk stood up. “Take your time.” Shay gave his hair one more pat, and they went back into the kitchen to leave Lance alone with Keith.

 

“Oh, shit. You probably can’t come anyway, can you?” Lance looked up at Keith with wide eyes. “Do you even want to come? We haven’t been together that long. You don’t have to come. I’ll go by myself and-“

 

“Lance,” Keith interrupted, squeezing Lance’s hands tight, “I do want to come. I have one appointment I’ll miss. I’ll call them as soon as I go over to reschedule.” He smiled up at Lance, “I want to be there for you, if you want me to.”

 

“I want you to, I really really want you to,” Lance whispered.

 

“Then we’ll go together. Come over to the shop when you’re done, and I’ll drive you. If you’re hungry we’ll grab something on the way, okay?” Keith stood up and pulled his chair over so he could sit next to Lance. “Are you still hungry? You have half your lunch left.”

 

Lance looked at his sandwich with a sigh. “I lost my appetite. I’ll finish it later.”

 

“Okay.”

 

They sat together in silence, holding hands. Lance felt more calm than he expected, and knew it was because he had Keith to lean on.

 

****

 

Closing the Bakery that afternoon was the hardest thing Lance did, because that meant it was time to go face his family. Shay let him out the front door so he could go over to Voltron Tattoo, and locked the door behind him.

 

He shuffled into Shiro’s shop with hunched shoulders, and was immediately grabbed around the middle by Pidge. He blinked down at the mop of honey gold hair at his chest, unsure how to react.

  
“Pidge?” he asked quietly, hands hovering over their shoulders.

 

They immediately let go and stepped back to look up at Lance with a half-hearted glare. “If you tell anyone I will deny it ‘till my dying breath.”

 

“Too late Pidge, Shiro and I are witnesses to your soft, squishy heart,” Keith drawled from his spot on the couch. Pidge shot Keith a real glare, and stomped back to their desk. Lance watched in amusement, then shrugged and walked over to sit down next to Keith. Shiro made his way over as well, wiping his hands on a paper towel.

 

“Keith told us about your family this morning.” He sat on Lance’s other side, and looked straight ahead. “Whatever happens with them today, I just want you to know we all love you. Us here, and the guys at the Bakery too. We’re all like family to each other, and you’re a part of that, Lance.” Shiro turned to Lance with a smile, patted his knee, and went back to cleaning his area. Lance stared at Shiro for a solid minute, mouth agape. Keith snickered, and Lance shook himself to grin at his boyfriend.

 

“So where are they staying?” Keith asked with a casual air.

 

Lance pulled out his phone. “Right. Lemme check.” He opened his messages, and saw the text from his papá. “They’re staying at the Wyndham Garden, on the Island. I don’t know where that is.”

 

“I do, it’s not far. Maybe ten minutes.” Keith leaned into Lance, bumping shoulders. “Did you finish your lunch? Or are you hungry now? We can go to Publix and get something from the Deli.”

 

Lance shook his head. “I did finish my sandwich, but if I eat now I think it’ll just come back up.” He fiddled with his phone, locking the screen and turning it over in his hands. “I am gonna snag a bottle of water thought.”

 

Keith nodded. “Do you wanna wait here for a bit, or we can just go now…”

 

Lance jumped up, knocking Keith to the side a bit in his haste. “Yeah. Let’s go now. Get it over with. Oh! Were you able to reschedule your appointment?”

 

“Yeah, they came earlier and I was able to get it done right before you got here.” Keith stood up and slid his hand into Lance’s. “See you guys later,” he called to Shiro and Pidge.

 

“Good luck, Lance,” Shiro replied, giving them a wave.

 

“Bye guys,” Pidge waved, but didn’t look, buried in the same piece they were working on yesterday.

 

“Does Pidge ever do any actual work here?” Lance asked loudly as they walked to the back.

 

“I heard that, Lance!”

 

“I know!”

 

Keith chuckled and Lance giggled, his nervousness bleeding out a little at his teasing. Lance grabbed two water bottles, one for him and one for Keith, then followed his boyfriend out back and to his car.

 

 

The drive was quiet, Lance sipping his water while Keith focused on where to go. They crossed the bridge to the Okaloosa Island, and turned right toward the long strip of hotels and resorts. Almost all the way down they found the Wyndham Garden and turned in, parking in the first spot Keith found. Lance checked the message from his papá again. “Room 1512.”

 

They walked in, and Keith hung back while Lance approached the reception desk. “Hi. My family is staying here, in room 1512. Can you point me in the right direction?”

 

The young woman behind the desk smiled politely and nodded. “Sure. Down this hall are the elevators. Take one up to the fifth floor and head to the left.”

 

“Thanks.” Lance smiled nervously and nodded before looking at Keith and pointing toward the elevators. They headed that way, shoulders brushing, and Lance punched the ‘up’ button when they got to the first elevator he saw. He searched for Keith’s hand as they waited, and was rewarded with a warm palm and strong fingers gripping tightly to his own slightly sweaty one. The elevator ‘ding’ed, they got on, and Keith selected the fifth floor. The ride was slow, but smooth. They barely felt the jolt when it stopped at their destination and the doors opened. Lance led Keith out and to the left, just like the receptionist said, and found room 1512 about halfway down the hall.

 

They stopped in front of the door, and Lance took a deep breath. “I think,” he whispered, “it might be better if we don’t hold hands while we’re in there. Is that ok?”

 

Keith nodded, and gave Lance’s hand one more squeeze before letting him go. Lance shook his hands to dispel some more nervousness, checked the time, 5:52, and knocked.

 

There was a shuffle and some murmuring behind the door, then it opened to Rosa’s mildly surprised face. “Hijo, Espero que cambies de opinión y vengas solo.” _(I hoped you would change your mind and come alone)_

 

“No, mamá. I didn’t want to come alone,” Lance phrased his reply so Keith would get the gist of what Rosa said.

 

She frowned a bit, and stepped back, gesturing for them to come in. Lance led the way, and Keith followed close behind in fear of having the door slammed in his face. Rosa walked into the small sitting area where Lance’s papá, Charlie, and Stella were already waiting. There was one chair available after Rosa sat, and Charlie rolled his eyes. “I told you they were both coming, mamá.”

 

“Una madre puede tener esperanza.” Rosa arched a brow at Keith, then pointedly looked away. _(A mother can hope)_

 

Charlie scoffed, stood up, and moved his chair over to the single empty one. “Rude,” he muttered under his breath when he passed by Keith, a mischievous twinkle in his eye. Keith nodded, then sat down after Lance. 

 

Rosa turned to Lance, her eyes pleading, “¿En serio eres gay? ¿O solamente estas tirando de las cuerdas de mi corazón?” _(So are you really gay? Or do you just like to pull at my heart strings?)_

 

Lance sighed. “Please mamá, speak English.” He looked over at Keith apologetically, who just shrugged and sat back.

 

“¿Porque? Y responde a mí pregunta.” _(Why? And answer my question.)_

 

“Because Keith doesn’t understand Spanish, and it’s rude to have this conversation in a language he doesn’t speak,” Lance snapped, “I’ll answer your question when you speak so we can all understand what’s being said.”

 

Rosa gaped at Lance. Never before had he stood up to her like that. “Hijo…”

 

“Rosa,” Lance’s papá cut in, “he has a point.” His gentle admonishment brought Lance’s mamá back to herself. Her shoulders slumped a little. 

 

“Okay. I’ll speak English.” She straightened up again, piercing Lance with her ‘mamá stare’. “So Becca was right then? You’re gay.”

 

“No mamá,” Lance shook his head. “I’m Bi. I like both.”

 

“Both?”

 

“Yeah, guys and girls.”

 

“Then why not just pick girls and let my heart stay whole?” Rosa begged.

 

“Because my heart is important too, mamá. I can’t choose who I like, who I love,” Lance blinked at the slip, and strongly avoided glancing in Keith’s direction. Hopefully he would take that as a generalization, though Lance had a feeling more telling things were going to be said.

 

“Sean,” Rosa implored, looking at Lance’s papá.

 

Sean cleared his throat and leaned his elbows onto his knees. “Lance,” he began, searching his son’s face, “you do understand that what you’re doing is a choice.”

 

“If by choice you mean I chose to pursue the attraction I feel for Keith, yeah.” Lance leaned back in his chair, always more comfortable talking to his papá.

 

Sean shook his head. “No Lance. The attraction you say you feel, for another man, that is a choice you are making.”

 

Lance raised a brow and tilted his head. “Was it a choice for you to feel attraction for mamá when you met her?”

 

“No, but that’s a natural attraction between a man and a woman, not-“

 

“Don’t go there, papá.”

 

“It’s the truth, Lance.”

 

“It’s your truth.” Lance shook his head and folded his arms across his chest. “I had zero control over my first impression of Keith. I didn’t look at him, and then _choose_ to feel attracted to him. It took my by surprise, so much so that I dropped the tray of hot pastries I was bringing out from the kitchen!” He chuckled at the memory, and heard a snicker from Keith.

 

Stella and Charlie giggled as well, but Rosa and Sean’s faces were a mixture of surprise and resignation. Rosa recovered first. 

 

“Hijo, please. Please come home. Come home with us, and choose a pretty girl. Becca was so good for you, she’s such a sweet girl.” Her eyes were pleading with Lance, begging him to agree. 

 

“I told Becca this yesterday, but maybe she didn’t relay the message to you. I’m already home.” Lance reached over and placed his hand on Keith’s forearm.

 

“Lance,” Sean joined in, “please. We miss you. And we love you, but we cannot condone this. Please come home with us.”

 

“We don’t care who you’re with,” Stella piped up for herself and Charlie. Rosa glared, but the girl went on, “but we do miss you.”

 

Lance smiled at his younger twin siblings. “I miss you guys too, but I’m not changing my mind. I am home. I didn’t choose to be Bi, and I didn’t choose to fall for a guy, but I am choosing to stay here, with Keith, and the friends I’ve made since I started working at the Bakery.”

 

Rosa’s face crumpled, tears spilling down her cheeks. “Hijo…”

 

“Okay Lance,” Sean’s face was sad, but resigned, “should you ever change your mind, you know where we are.” He stood, signaling the end of the conversation. Lance and Keith stood as well, and so did Stella and Charlie. Rosa stayed in her seat, face buried in her hands.

 

Lance knelt before her, extending trembling fingers to touch her knees. “Mamá…”

 

Rosa reached out, pulling Lance into a tight hug. She held him close, stroking his hair, murmuring, “hijo…hijo…”

 

“Te quiero mamá. Yo siempre.” Lance whispered, then pulled away and stood beside Keith again. _(I love you mamá, I always will)_

 

Sean held out his hand, and both Lance and Keith shook it in turn. Stella announced she and Charlie would show them out, and ushered them to the door, following them out to the hall and closing the door for some privacy.

 

“Give mamá some time, and she’ll be calling you every week to check on you like nothing happened,” Stella said with a wink. Charlie nodded, and Lance chuckled. 

  
“Yeah, I think you’re right,” he admitted, nudging her shoulder with his fist.

 

“Can we text and call you now? I’ve been _dying_ to brag about my new high scores!” Charlie begged, pulling on Lance’s work shirt for emphasis.

 

“I never said you couldn’t, you’ll have to take that up with mamá and papá.” Lance grinned. “Or don’t and text me anyway, keep me in the loop yeah?”

 

“Yeah, we will,” Stella promised, then looked over at Keith. “So your name is Keith?”

 

“Yes. You’re Stella, right? And Charlie?” Keith nodded to the two teenagers.

 

Charlie grinned, “that’s right,” and Stella giggled. 

 

Lance rolled his eyes with a grin. “Hey now, he’s my boyfriend. No flirting.”

 

“Who’s flirting?” Charlie looked stricken, “you might be into guys, but I’m totally straight bro.”

 

Keith and Lance laughed at that, and Keith slid his hand into Lance’s again. When Stella caught sight, she sighed, “aww…you’re so cute together…I hope my boyfriend is like yours.”

 

Lance blanched, “you’re not dating yet, are you? My baby sister?”

 

“We’re already 16 Lance,” Stella pouted, “mamá gave us the same rules you had, so I can date a boy now if I want to.”

 

“Wait, no…” Lance frowned in thought, then gasped, “I missed your birthday! Oh no!” he wiled pitifully. “How long are you here for? Will mamá let you hang out? I want to take you birthday shopping.”

 

“We’ll ask her and text you,” Charlie said quickly, “but I’m sure she’ll say yes.”

 

They all jumped when someone knocked on their door from the inside. “Stella, Charlie, wrap it up,” Sean called from inside.

 

“Okay, papá,” they chorused. Stella jumped on Lance for a tight hug, then did the same with Keith while Charlie said his goodbyes.

 

“We’ll keep in touch from now on, don’t ignore us okay?” Stella begged, and Lance assured her he wouldn’t. They said another round of goodbyes, then Lance and Keith walked down the hall, hand in hand, while the twins knocked on their door to be let back in.

 

Once they were back in Keith’s car, Lance heaved a huge sigh. “That actually went way better than I thought it would.”

 

“Really?” Keith looked over in disbelief. “Lance, they basically told you ‘don’t come home unless you only date girls’. That’s pretty harsh.”

 

Lance shrugged, “I knew that was going to happen. But they _talked_ to me, Keith. Actually sat down and said words without yelling or screaming. And they listened, even if they never accept what I say or agree with it, they _listened_ and that’s more than I could have hoped for. Mamá hugged me, and papá shook your hand. I’m not gonna jinx it, but I think they might come around some day.”

 

Keith frowned, thinking over the conversation, then smiled. “I guess I’ll have to believe you, since you know them better.” He reached out for Lance’s hand, his smile growing when the taller man reciprocated, lacing their fingers together. “Stella and Charlie are cool.”

 

“Of course, they’re 16. Geez, I still can’t believe I missed their birthday!” Lance ruffled his hair with his free hand. “I really hope mamá will let me take them shopping before they go back home.”

 

“I’m sure she will,” Keith replied. “Well, Shiro’s not expecting me back at all tonight, do you wanna go do something?”

 

Lance smiled, “yeah, sure.” His stomach chose that moment to rumble, loudly, and he laughed, “guess I’m hungry now. Let _me_ take _you_ to dinner this time.”

 

Keith thought about it as he started the car. “Okay. How about take out? We can eat it a my place, or yours.”

 

“You’re speaking my language. There’s that one by the Waffle House.”

 

“Yeah, they’re super fast too.”

 

“Uh-huh. So I picked dinner, you pick where we eat it.” Lance winked at Keith as he pulled out of the Wyndham parking lot.

 

“I like going to your place. It’s cleaner, and the walls aren’t so thin.” Keith laughed as Lance waggled his eyebrows suggestively. “Not like that! Well…yeah kinda, but! No, seriously. I can hear everything my neighbors are doing. It’s ridiculous.”

 

“Sounds like you need to find a new place.”

 

“Mmhmm. My lease is up in four months, I hope I can snag a deal before the landlord pressures me into another one.”

 

“Right.” Lance had a sudden idea, but quickly tamped it down. It was definitely, way too soon to even think of living together. _Seriously. But in four months? Maybe? No. No. Stop it._

 

They pulled up to the Chinese restaurant, and went in to order their take out. When they finished there, Keith drove by the back of their shops for Lance to pick up his car, and followed him back to his apartment.

 

Once inside, Lance kicked off his shoes while Keith toed his off more sedately. Keith took their dinner straight to the kitchen bar, and Lance brushed past him to open the fridge, “coke?” At Keith’s affirmative he grabbed two cans and joined him at the little bar. They separated their dishes and settled in, eating in companionable silence; Keith to give Lance a little space, and Lance to process what just happened between himself and his family. When they finished, they helped each other clean up the mess, and collapsed together on the couch.

 

“So…” Keith started, “do you want to-“

 

“Can we just…sit? And cuddle?” Lance grinned sheepishly for cutting Keith off and leaned in close.

 

Keith nodded with a smile and slid his arm over Lance’s shoulders and back, hand coming to rest on his hip. “Yeah. I’d like that too.” Lance shuffled closer to tuck his head under Keith’s chin and curled up at his side, arm draped over his waist, legs tucked up, knees resting on his thigh, and sighed. Keith held him tight, cheek pressed to his hair, free hand resting on the arm over his waist.

 

It was another few minutes, when a thought occurred to Keith. “Hey, Lance?”

 

“Hmm?”

 

“You told your mom, ‘I didn’t choose to fall for a guy’. Was that just…figure of speech?” Keith hid a small smile in Lance’s hair.

 

“Uh…” Lance licked his suddenly very dry lips and huffed an embarrassed laugh. “Well…no, it wasn’t.”

 

“No?”

 

“Nope. Very literal, well not literal as in literally falling, like down to the floor but-”

 

“You fell for me?” Keith’s question was so quiet Lance almost missed it. He squeezed Keith’s middle and tucked his head farther under his chin.   
  
“Yeah. I did.” Lance’s face was nearly crimson, he couldn’t believe he’d let it slip, _twice_ , that he had it so, so bad for Keith.

 

Keith squeezed him back and kissed his hair. “Thank god,” he murmured in relief.

 

Lance barked out a laugh, “what?” He sat up a bit to look at Keith’s face. “Thank god?”

 

“Yeah.” Keith blushed, raising his free hand to cup Lance’s cheek. “Thank god ‘cuz I feel the same.”

 

Lance stilled, a genuine smile blooming over his face. “Really?”

 

Keith chuckled, “really.”

 

“You mean it?”

 

“Yes. What-“

 

“For real?”

 

Keith rolled his eyes. “Yes, Lance! For real. I’ve got it bad for-“ he was cut off by Lance’s lips, a gentle kiss that communicated their affection for each other more deeply than words ever could. Their lips lingered together, pressing against each other over and over as they held tight to each other.

 

They were interrupted by a buzzing in Lance’s back pocket. He backed off with a groan, and almost chose to ignore the message when he remembered he was expecting to hear from the twins. He sat up and pulled out his phone, eyes lighting up as he opened the messenger. “Yes! I can take Stella and Charlie shopping!” He leaned over onto Keith, letting him read the message as well.

 

**Stella Bella**

Mamá said yes! We’re going shopping hermano! We head back home Sunday after lunch so it will have to be tomorrow or Saturday.

 

 

Keith hummed. “Do you do silly names for everyone in your contacts?”

 

“Yeah, why?”

 

“Is that why you put yourself in my phone as ‘Lancey Lance’?”

 

Lance grinned up at Keith, “you betcha.”

 

Keith smiled back. “So what did you put me as?”

 

Lance thumbed back to his list of messages and tapped on his thread with Keith.

 

“Keef? Really?”

 

“Aww…c’mon, Keef. It’s cute!” Lance bat his eyelashes at Keith and put on his sweetest smile.

 

Keith rolled his eyes, but relented. “Well when you say it like _that_.”

 

“Duh.” Lance returned his focus to his phone, switching back to his thread with Stella and composing a reply.

 

**Lancey Lance**

Awww yea! I’m off early tomorrow, so be ready at 3:30 hermanita <3 

 

 

“So,” Lance tucked his phone away and turned toward Keith with a shy smile, “where were we?”

 

Keith slid his arms around Lance, pulling him close enough to bump noses, “here? No,” he leaned a bit closer, lips barely touching, and smirked, “here.” They picked up where they left off, Keith pressing closer to gently lick against Lance’s lips. Lance eagerly opened up, deepening the kiss and licking into Keith’s mouth. Someone moaned, grips tightened, and soon Lance found himself in Keith’s lap, straddling his legs, knees pressed beside his hips. Lance sat up to look down at where he was, then back up at Keith, who was sitting very still. A tense moment passed between them, then Keith broke the silence. “Okay?”

 

Lance bit his lip to hide a giddy smile. He was surprised to find himself there, but, “yeah, definitely okay.” Burying his hands in Keith’s hair, Lance came down for more open mouthed kisses, and moaned again when Keith’s hands gripped his hips to pull him in closer. Soon they were both panting, hips grinding, and Keith’s hands slipped under Lance’s shirt to slide his palms up his back and back down, circling around to his stomach. Lance let out a needy whimper, abs clenching, and bucked his hips harder, rubbing his now rather painful erection against Keith’s. His hands traveled down Keith’s neck to his shoulders, his chest, his stomach, reaching for the hem of his shirt and tugging up in an effort to get it, “off, off.”

 

Keith sat up straight and raised his arms to let Lance pull his shirt off, watching it fly off to the side of the couch. He stared up at Lance, his arms dropping back to his hips, fingers slipping under the hem of his shirt to gently trace along the waistband of his jeans. Lance huffed and pulled his own shirt off, then traced his hands up Keith’s arms, over muscular shoulders, down his chest and abs to follow the trail of dark hairs that ran from his navel to disappear under his pants. Keith’s breath hitched, hips bucking up in search of friction.

 

Lance thumbed at the button of Keith’s jeans. “I wanna…can-can I see it?” he asked tentatively. Keith groaned and nodded, his hands gripping tight on Lance’s hips in an effort to stay in control of himself. Lance slowly popped the button and pulled down the zipper, revealing dark red briefs pulled tight over a now tenting erection, a darker spot already spreading over the tip. He sucked in a shuddering breath, fingers trailing along the skin just above the waistband, then steeled his nerve and hooked his pointer fingers under the elastic to gently pull the briefs down and out of the way.

 

Keith gasped as his cock hit the cool air of the room. His eyes were on Lance’s face, who was staring intently down at what he’d just revealed. Keith stilled, “what?”

 

Lance glanced up at Keith’s face for a moment, and blushed, looking back down. “I’m gonna sound so stupid but…why is there skin covering the head?”

 

Keith blinked and looked down at himself. “Uh…that’s my foreskin.” Their eyes met, and Keith chuckled at Lance’s blank look. “I’m not circumcised.”

 

Lance looked back down in time to see Keith’s dick twitch. “Oh.” He bit his lip and began to reach for it, but hesitated. “Can I?”

 

“Yes,” Keith answered immediately, and Lance giggled a little, clearly nervous. He tentatively touched the shaft with his fingertips, causing Keith’s breath to stutter, then slid his fingers around to gently grip close to the top and slid down, pulling the foreskin down as well.

 

“Oh,” he breathed again as the flushed tip was revealed, and began to slowly pump his fist. He figured his own preferred method would be fine, and if Keith’s moans were an indicator, he’d say he was right.

 

“Lance, shit, oh…” It wasn’t long before Keith grasped Lance’s wrist, stopping his hand and gently removing it from his cock. It twitched again in protest to the loss of stimulation.

 

“Sorry,” Lance ducked his head, the crimson flush on his cheeks was traveling down to his chest.

 

Keith shook his head, “I was gonna come.” He changed his grip on Lance’s wrist to lace their fingers together.

 

Lance cocked his head to the side. “Then why did you stop me?”

 

“Not without you,” Keith declared, chest still heaving. 

 

Lance bit his lip and nodded. “Okay.” He pulled Keith’s hand to the button of his jeans.

 

Keith stilled. “Lance, are you sure?” He tried to pull his hand away, but Lance tightened his grip. 

“Yeah. Just…just hands,” Lance whispered, unlacing their fingers and placing Keith’s palm over the bulge in his pants. Keith exhaled sharply, fingers gently squeezing as Lance’s cock throbbed under his palm. “Ah! Oh…” Lance arched his back at the sensation, mouth falling open in a moan. He undid the button and zipper on his jeans and pulled out his dick, shuddering at the feel of his own hands on the sensitive skin. 

 

Keith’s eyes were glued to Lance’s cock as it was revealed. His hands had come to rest on the other’s thighs and gave them a squeeze to keep his hands to himself. Lance let go of himself and covered Keith’s hands with his own. His breathing was heavy, and his eyes didn’t know where to linger. They roved from Keith’s face to his chest, his clenching abs, his leaking cock, and then over to his own dick flushed dark red and glistening. 

 

Keith turned his hands to grasp Lance’s fingers and lift them up to his lips. He placed feather light kisses across Lance’s knuckles, then tugged him forward, bringing Lance’s arms over his own shoulders. Lance took the hint and wrapped his arms around Keith’s neck. They shared a few tender kisses, then Keith nudged his nose against Lance’s.

 

“Can I touch you?” he asked quietly.

 

Lance giggled, burying his fingers into Keith’s hair. “Yes please,” he answered, just as quiet.

 

Keith gently gripped Lance’s hips. “C’mere. Closer.” Lance shuffled forward on Keith’s lap until their cocks touched, drawing a gasp from them both. Keith kept one hand on Lance’s hip, and the other slid forward to grasp both of their cocks together. Lance cried out, and Keith moaned as he slowly pulled up, then back down.

 

“Oh, shit.” Lance pressed is forehead to Keith’s and bucked his hips, cock sliding in the other’s grasp and rubbing along Keith’s.

 

“F-fuck!” Keith sped up his hand, his hips also joining the party.

 

Lance giggled again and shook his head. “Maybe-mmh maybe, ah, next time,” he murmured between giggles.

 

Keith huffed, “what?” When Lance kept giggling, he caught on and chuckled as well. “O-oh! Haah, mm!” He tightened his grip on their cocks, but Lance couldn’t stop giggling, which set Keith to laughing. He stopped his stroking while they laughed, but didn’t let go.

 

“Ah, s-so-sorry!”

 

Keith shook his head, slowly getting his chuckles under control. “It’s okay. This is good.” He gave them a little more time to calm down, then started pumping his fist again, catching Lance by surprise.

  
“Woah! Ah-hah.” Lance shuddered, hips starting up again. He could feel pleasure and heat coiling in his gut, and knew he wasn’t going to last much longer. “Hah, mmh, K-Keith I-oh! Shit, I’m cl-close!”

 

“Y-yeah. Me-me ah! Me too!” Keith pumped faster and tightened his grip. That sent Lance over  and he cried out, his whole body tensing, back arching as his cock pulsed and shot thick ropes of cum over Keith’s stomach and hand. Keith worked him through his orgasm, then let go of his dick to finish himself off with a choked gasp, his own cum mixing with Lance’s.

 

Lance leaned into Keith, chest heaving, and rested his head on his shoulder. “Oh my god…” he moaned.

 

Keith used his clean hand to rub Lance’s back. “You okay?”

 

“Fuck yeah, you?”

 

“Mmm.” Keith slid his hand up to grip the back of Lance’s neck, fingers playing with his hair. They stayed like that for longer than either realized, until Keith shifted in discomfort. “I need to get cleaned up, it’s starting to itch.”

 

Lance jumped up, pausing to blush when he realized his dick was still hanging out of his pants. He quickly tucked himself away and zipped up his jeans. “Stay right there,” he ordered and went into his bathroom.

  
Keith balled his hands into fists to avoid scratching at the mess on his stomach. He could hear water running, and hoped Lance wouldn’t take too long. Fortunately, his boyfriend reemerged just moments later carrying a moist towel. Lance knelt in front of Keith and reached out with the towel, and stopped. He looked up at Keith, cheeks turning red. Keith smiled, and took the towel from Lance with his clean hand. “It’s okay, I’ll do it,” he said gently, and got to work cleaning himself up.

 

“Sorry. I don’t know why I feel so awkward.” Lance got up and snagged his shirt, shrugging it on and waiting for Keith to finish.

 

Keith shrugged, folding the towel to contain the mess, and placed it in Lance’s expecting hand. “It’s normal, don’t worry about it.” Lance shrugged and wandered into his bedroom to toss the towel into his laundry basket. While he was gone, Keith made himself presentable again. He tucked his now soft cock back into his underwear, did up his pants, and pulled his shirt back on. He was fiddling with his phone when Lance came back, and they smiled at each other. 

 

“Do you want to stay a bit longer? It’s not even 8:30 yet,” Lance offered.

 

Keith opened his mouth to reply, but his stomach cut him off with a hungry growl. He huffed and rubbed over the offended organ. “As long as you feed me again,” he teased.

 

Lance wrinkled his nose. “Uh, we can order pizza?” He’d been meaning to get groceries for days now.

 

Keith pretended to consider the offer, then shrugged. “Yeah, I guess that’ll do. But no pineapple.”

 

“Gross,” Lance shuddered, “pineapple on pizza.” He pulled out his phone and laid down on the couch, head in Keith’s lap and feet dangling over the other end. Keith immediately put his hands in Lance’s hair. “So what _do_ you like on pizza?”

 

Keith shrugged. “Besides pineapple and anchovies, I’m not picky.” He carded his hands through Lance’s hair over and over until it began to stand on its end, then smoothed it back down. Lance closed his eyes and sighed, enjoying for a moment, then batted Keith’s hands away.

 

“Lemme order before you turn me into jelly,” he admonished, already dialing. Keith flicked his ear, which earned him a glare, and settled for resting one hand on Lance’s chest and the other on the armrest of the couch. Lance suddenly grinned, “good evening! Yeah I’d like to order for delivery…”

 

 

They watched Netflix while they ate their pizza, then cuddled some more. Keith kept stealing kisses, and Lance wouldn’t stop sliding his hands under Keith’s shirt (“ _Lance,_ stop!” “But dude you have _abs_. ABS!”). Soon after, though, Lance felt the weight of the day’s emotions drag on him, he was _exhausted_. He nearly fell asleep on Keith again, who rolled his eyes and got him standing up before he started snoring.

 

“Okay, I know I’m boring but really Lance?” Keith teased as they shuffled to the door.

 

“Hardy har, Keith,” Lance mumbled. He barely registered when Keith kissed him, kissing back after he’d already pulled away. Keith chuckled, Lance frowned. “Sorry.”

  
Keith opened the door and stepped out. “Don’t forget to lock the door, then get in bed, okay? I’ll see you later.”

 

Lance yawned, “bye Keith,” and blinked when the door nearly closed on his nose. He shook his head and locked up. He stumbled to his room and literally fell on his bed, asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woah. Really. I kinda surprised myself there.
> 
> I imagined how my parents would react if my brother or I came out as something other than straight, and used that for Lance's parents (I come from a SUPER conservative Christian family so, anecdotal and all that)
> 
> Special thanks to insidegem on Tumblr for the Spanish translations! (except the last one from Lance...I missed giving it to her so that's a google translate one, though it's pretty straight forward...right? maybe?)
> 
> And as always, thank YOU! All of you who read, comment, and give kudos! I'm beyond thrilled how much you like this, it helps me keep going.
> 
> <3<3
> 
> One last thing: I'm headed out of town this upcoming weekend, so unless I suddenly find a free day to just write (I have a toddler and a preschooler - not likely) there won't be a new chapter until next week.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance takes Stella and Charlie shopping

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sure I like this chapter. Probably because I've 1) been dealing with a sick household. yay. 2) went to a ladies retreat and got out of the habit of writing. 3) I tried to put in something about Keith's birthday and it feels forced to me.
> 
> Anyway, constructive criticism is always welcome!
> 
> Also, still not beta'd. All mistakes are mine <3

_“Hermano! Are you off work?”_

 

Lance smiled, “Stella Bella. I’m on my way to get you now, so be ready! Have you thought of where you want to go?”

 

There was some shuffling on the other end of the line. _“Ya, can we go to Destin? We’ve stayed mostly on the island except coming over to Downtown where you work. I heard there’s a shopping center there? Charlie says there’s a Bass Pro and that’s where he wants to go.”_

 

Lance rolled his eyes, “seriously? He knows there’s one back home, right? I mean I’ll take you wherever you wanna go, but-“

 

Stella sighed. _“I know! He’s got his heart set on one of those camo jackets or whatever. Because, you know, he goes hunting all the time,”_ she said that last bit with a snort, and Lance burst out laughing. He heard a voice say ‘hey!’ in the background

 

“I’m going to guess he’s the only kid at school without one? Not that he can wear it over his uniform.”

 

_“We can wear any jacket we like over our uniforms, weather permitting, as long as we take them off inside. So yeah, hey!-“_

 

The voice changed, _“dude! I don’t care if Stella makes fun of me, that jacket is all I want. Please??”_

 

Lance laughed again. “We’ll check it out, if it fits the budget I’ll get you whatever you want.” He turned off 98 toward their hotel. “I’m almost there. You gonna meet me outside?”

 

_“Sure, see you in a bit.”_

 

“Yup,” Lance hung up and focused on finding the right building. When he pulled in, he saw the twins standing just outside the main door, so he pulled up beside them. They glared at each other, then each stuck out a fist and bounced them three times. Charlie laid his palm flat, while Stella stuck out two fingers. She ‘cut’ Charlie’s flat hand like scissors cutting paper and grinned. Charlie glowered. Lance laughed inside the car.

 

Stella got in the front seat, and Charlie slumped into the back. When everyone was buckled up, Lance pulled back out onto the street and headed back to 98.

 

“So Charlie wants Bass Pro, where do you want to go Stella?” Lance asked.

 

“I saw there’s a Sephora, and Lush there. What’s our budget?” Stella was looking out the window as Lance turned right onto 98, away from Downtown and toward the other end of the island, leading to Destin.

 

“Well, Charlie Brown do you know how much that jacket is?”

 

Charlie perked up, “$75. Is that okay?”

 

Lance nodded. “Yeah I can do that. So then the same for you, Bells.”

 

“Okay.”

 

Lance’s phone buzzed, the _vworp vworp_ of the T.A.R.D.I.S. making all three jump.

 

“Oh, God. Lance, no! You still have that crazy ring tone!?” Stella wailed, “please tell me you’ve at least changed the one for calls from the Nintendo theme.”

 

“No way!” Lance laughed. “If I’m gonna be a dork, then I’m gonna make sure everyone knows it.”

 

“Aren’t you gonna check it?” Charlie asked.

 

“What? Hey, I’m driving. It’s a text, and that means it can wait until we get where we’re going.”

 

“Can I check it? What if it’s Keith?” Stella was already reaching for his phone.

 

Lance rolled his eyes. “Yeah, fine. Your fingerprint still works by the way.”

 

Stella grabbed Lance’s phone, thumbing open the screen and selecting the unread message. “It is from…Keef? Ugh, you could have done better.”

 

“Whatever, what does it say?”

 

“Uh, ‘hope you slept well. Let me know how it goes with Stella and Charlie.’ Aww…he’s super sweet, isn’t he?” Stella made goopy eyes at Lance, then jumped when another text came through. “Oh, he sent another. ‘I know we’re gonna spend Sunday together, but I’d like to see you again tonight too. Let me know if you wanna come hang out after your shopping trip. Pidge and Shiro don’t believe me when I say you’re ok. They wanna see for themselves.’ Who are Pidge and Shiro?”

 

“Shiro is Keith’s cousin but more like a brother, and Pidge works with them at Shiro’s shop.”

 

“What’s Shiro’s shop?” Charlie asked.

 

“Oh. Right. You probably walked by when you came to the bakery yesterday. Shiro owns Voltron Tattoo two doors down.”

 

“Keith’s a tattoo artist? Wow, that’s so cool!” Charlie’s grin turned sly. “Forget that jacket, can I get a tattoo?”

 

“Me too!” Stella chimed in.

 

“What!? No! No way!” Lance grimaced through their grumbling. “No. I consider it practically a miracle that mamá is letting me take you shopping at all, let alone without her or papá to supervise! If you got tattoos while on my watch, the best case scenario is that they’ll officially disown me and cut me off from all of you forever. Most likely they’ll just kill me because that’s probably less paperwork.”

 

“Spoil sport,” Charlie muttered while Stella said, “ugh, fine.” They did settle down after a minute though, then Charlie asked, “but can we go by after? Just to see the place, and meet Pidge and Shiro?”

 

“Maybe. Ask Keith for me. Shiro’s pretty strict and I don’t wanna piss him off.” Lance slowed down as they approached the bridge to Destin, and pointed out over the jetties toward the gulf. “That’s the East Pass, all the charter fishing goes out to the Gulf from here.”

 

Charlie gawked while Stella spared the area a glance, more interested in texting Keith for Lance.

 

As they continued through Destin toward their destination, Lance kept pointing out cool things he’s noticed or learned about. Most of this side of Destin was older, but once they passed Wal-Mart the newer shopping centers and restaurants started popping up, including, “the Destin Commons! Major tourist attraction complete with shopping, dining, bowling, and a movie theater!” Lance exclaimed.

 

“Looks just like any number of strip malls back home,” Charlie commented.

 

“Well duh, it’s still Florida. Destin is basically just smaller Orlando with fewer subdivisions and no theme parks.” Lance grinned in his rearview, pulling around to park close to the Bass Pro at one end. “So where to first? Chuck, your trip should be short if they have your jacket, but Bells will probably take forever in those girly stores. I should probably make you pick one,” Lance added as an afterthought.

 

“Then I pick Sephora. I still have a good stash of my Lush stuff.”

 

“Let me get the jacket first, it’ll keep me occupied while Stella tries everything in Sephora.” Charlie flicked at Stella’s hair and got out, his brother and sister quickly following. He led them into and through Bass Pro, up the stairs and across to their selection of camouflage hunting gear.

 

“Are all Bass Pros the same?” Lance asked, amazed Charlie could find his way in a store he’d never been in.

 

“No, but it’s not hard to find the section you’re looking for if you know how the store is generally divided. I’m hoping to get a job at the one back home for the summer too, and my goal is to know the layout of the store in my sleep to impress the manager.” Charlie was looking through a selection of jackets, and with a quiet ‘aha!’ found the one he was looking for. “Yes! My size!” He showed the jacket to Lance, who smiled, and Stella, who rolled her eyes. Charlie did the same. “Yeah, yeah. Let’s check out so you can to play with makeup.”

 

They went back downstairs to the check out, Charlie using his rewards card for the points and Lance his debit card to pay. The cashier thanked them for shopping, and they said polite goodbyes before heading back out into the warm October air. They walked down the main street of the shopping strip to its center, and turned left to head into Sephora just behind the playground crawling with kids.

 

Now Stella took the lead. She headed straight for the doors while Lance and Charlie hung back a bit. She paused to see what the hold-up was, and rolled her eyes. “Hey.” The boys jumped and looked at her guiltily. She pointed to a bench set off to the side a little way from the door. “You can wait out here, k? I’ll text you when I need you to come pay.” Without waiting for a reply, she opened the door and walked in to the store.

 

Lance shrugged, and followed Charlie over to sit at the bench. They sprawled out together, and Lance decided to check his phone. He saw Keith had texted him back, and wondered why he hadn’t heard it, when he noticed the silent switch had been flipped. With a shrug he opened the messages, first reading over what Stella sent.

 

**Lancey Lance**

Hi, this is Stella texting for Lance. He’s driving.

 

We’d all like to come hang out for a bit. Lance said to ask you, to ask Shiro if that’s okay. Lance already said no to getting us tattoos, don’t worry! ;)

 

**Keef**

Hi Stella

 

Shiro said you’re all welcome to come by, but he stressed that you and Charlie can’t go near the tattoo stations, or else it could look like you’re getting one and he could get in big trouble.

 

Let me know when you’re on your way, we’ll let you guys in the back.

 

 

Lance grinned down at his phone, then looked over when he felt Charlie’s breath over his cheek. The younger brother was reading over his shoulder. Lance shook his head and nudged him away. “Rude, man.”

 

“Aw, c’mon! I just wanted to see what ‘Keef’ said!” Charlie whined, slumping farther on his bench.

 

“Then at least let me know, don’t creep over my shoulder.” Lance turned back to his phone, angling it so Charlie could see without looming over his shoulder.

 

**Lancey Lance**

Hey Babe! It’s Lance ;) We’re done with Charlie’s pick, and hanging out outside the makeup store for Stella now. I think we’ll grab a bite then head back your way. I’ll let you know when that happens.

 

 

Just then, another text came in.

 

**Stella Bella**

I’m done! Come pay please <3

 

 

Lance nudged Charlie. “Time to pay. C’mon.”

 

“I’ll stay out here and wait.”

 

“Aw! Are you afraid of a little makeup? Up, up. Let’s go!” Lance pulled Charlie up and drug him along into the store. They found Stella already in line and joined her. “Find everything you wanted?”

 

Stella laughed, “no way, hermano! Your budget isn’t big enough. But I got the important ones.” She showed the two items in her hands; an eyeshadow pallet and a foundation.

 

Lance blinked, “that’s it?”

 

“Ya, this stuff isn’t cheap you know. But it lasts better through the day, and lasts longer before I need to buy more.”

 

Lance shook his head. “I’m glad I don’t use any of that stuff, I spend more than enough on my skin care.”

 

Stella and Charlie laughed, “yeah, and you had to get us on it too!” Charlie accused.

 

They got to the front of the line, and Lance paid for Stella’s picks, still muttering how two little things could add up to $75. When they left, Lance asked if they were hungry. In response, Charlie’s stomach growled, and Stella agreed she could eat. “So what are you in the mood for? There’s a bunch of places around the corner this way, or some more over by the theater.”

 

“Hey! Is that Johnny Rockets? We haven’t gone for burgers in ages, let’s go there!” Charlie pointed toward the theater and the glowing red sign. Lance looked to Stella, who nodded, and led them over. They got to pick their own seats, and chose to take three stools on the bar so they could watch the cooks make their food.

 

They goofed around like Lance never left home while they ate, bickering in both English and Spanish. It was still a little early for dinner, so the diner was pretty empty and they didn’t feel the need to tone it down for the few other customers there. The manager spent a few moments talking to them, since he also spoke Spanish, and they got free milk shakes out of the conversation. Lance made sure to tip extra when he paid. As they left, their fun started to die down, the reality of where they were coming back to them. Stella and Charlie would go back home in two days, and Lance wasn’t going with them.

 

They piled back in the car, Charlie taking shot gun this time, and headed back the way they came. After Lance texted Keith to let him know they were on their way. 

 

The drive was much quieter this time, each sibling lost in their own thoughts, until Charlie finally let his come out.

 

“This is stupid. Why can’t they just accept that you sometimes like guys and move on?” he whined.

 

“Charlie,” Lance began, “I know it’s gonna be hard for a while, but it’s already been six months. Even if Mamá and Papá accepted me as I am, I still can’t come home with you now.”

 

“Why not? There’s guys in Orlando, too!”

 

Stella put her hand on Charlie’s shoulder, “if Lance comes home with us, that means he has to leave Keith here.”

 

“Oh.”

 

Lance sighed, “yeah.” His tone was wistful, but also a little dreamy. Stella caught on quick.

 

“You love him, don’t you?” she asked quietly. 

 

Lance nodded and croaked out another, “yeah.”

 

“But you haven’t said it yet?”

 

“Kinda? Well, I hinted pretty hard yesterday when we met you at the hotel. And he asked me about it after. I told him I fell for him, and he said the same, but we didn’t actually say ‘love’, you know? I feel like it’s kinda soon…I don’t wanna come on too strong.”

 

“Dude,” Charlie grimaced, “is that a gay slash bi thing? Or am I gonna get all sappy like that too?”

 

Stella punched his arm, but Lance laughed. “No, if you find the right girl, you’ll probably get all gooey like this too. And here’s a hint,” he winked, “girls love it.”

 

“He’s right,” Stella chimed in.

 

“Ugh, gross.” Charlie slumped in his seat and crossed his arms. Lance and Stella laughed at him.

 

“Yeah, I felt the same at your age.” Lance pulled into the left turning lane for the back road of Downtown, his blinker clicking in the background.

 

“You say that like you’re old.”

 

“It was ten years ago, so yeah. I feel kinda old. I’m getting uncomfortably close to thirty, you know.”

 

Stella giggled, “yeah, you’re getting old.”

 

Lance took the turn when traffic broke, and followed the little street all the way down to the little parking lot Altea Bakery shared with the Cafe and Voltron Tattoo. He parked his car, and shot another text, telling Keith they’d arrived.

 

“How old is Keith?” Charlie asked. “Like, is he older than you? Or younger? Does that even matter when it’s two guys?”

 

Lance shrugged. “Honestly I haven’t asked. And really, it shouldn’t matter for anyone. Becca was older than me, and look how immature she ended up being.”

 

“Ugh. Yeah.”

 

They stepped out of the car, and Stella fluffed her hair. “I’ll ask him for you, you’re welcome.” Lance laughed, and ushered them toward the opening door. Pidge poked their head out and let them in.

 

“Hey Pidge.” Lance led the twins into the back, waving them forward to the main part of the shop.

 

“Whassup.” Pidge followed after pulling the door shut. “Keith’s at Publix, we’re out of drinks, Shiro’s out front.”

 

Lance walked over to the couch he usually sat on with Keith and turned to Pidge. “Pidge, this is Stella and Charlie. Guys, this is Pidge.”

 

Pidge sized up the twins, who hesitated under their intense stare. Then they smiled, just a little, and shrugged one shoulder. “Nice to meet you.” Their slightly monotone voice seemed to negate the sentiment. 

 

Lance rolled his eyes. “Pidge is salty, don’t let them get to you.”

 

Stella smiled first, and extended her hand. “It’s nice to meet you too. I heard you guys were really worried about Lance. I’m so glad he’s got good friends here.”

 

Charlie whispered to Lance, “them?” Lance nodded, his face an exaggerated expression of seriousness. Charlie shrugged and turned back to Pidge. “Yeah,” he extended his hand as well, “he needs it.”

 

Pidge shook their hands, smile brightening just a little bit. “He does.”

 

“Hey!”

 

“Is for horses!” called Shiro from the desk. He got up and made his way over to the small group, patting Lance on the shoulder with his prosthetic hand.

 

“Was that a dad joke?” Lance accused. Shiro burst out laughing, rubbing the back of his neck with his real hand.

 

“Woah…” Charlie was staring intently at the metal hand on Lance’s shoulder. “Are you Tony Stark?”

 

Lance panicked, “Charlie-“

 

“Nah, man. But Matt, Pidge’s brother and my best friend, kind of is.” Shiro lifted the prosthetic hand, wiggling the fingers and rotating the wrist. “He built this for me after I lost the real one.”

 

“It’s wicked cool, especially with all the tattoos and stuff,” Charlie looked in awe of the older man, who smiled a bit uncomfortably.

 

“Don’t worry, Shiro, it’s just a bit of hero worship. Chuck’s straight as an arrow,” Lance reassured, flicking Charlie’s ear for good measure.

 

“Sorry.”

 

“It’s okay.” Shiro waved it off, relieved he didn’t have to turn down the boy.

 

“So that’s Charlie, and this is Stella,” Lance introduced, nudging his little sister, who looked a bit star-struck. “Hey.” 

 

No response. 

 

“Stella Bella,” Lance sang, again nothing. “Aw, c’mon! First Keith, now Shiro?” He spared an apologetic look toward Shiro, then flicked her ear as well.

 

“Ow! Hey!” Stella snapped out of her reverie to glare at Lance.

 

“You can’t have my boyfriend, and Shiro’s taken, too,” Lance chuckled as his sister rolled her eyes.

 

“Yes, I know. Sorry for being _human_.” Stella’s sass broke the tension, and everyone else laughed while she huffed in annoyance.

 

“Thanks for letting us come by, Shiro.” Lance ushered the twins to the couch and had them sit. “We won’t stay long.”

 

“As long as they stay away from the guns, it’s fine,” Shiro replied. 

 

“There’s guns here? Why?” Charlie cried, eyes wide in alarm.

 

“Tattoo guns,” Pidge inserted with a roll of their eyes.

 

“Oh…right.”

 

Just then the back door slammed open. “Someone help me drag this shit inside!” Keith’s voice carried in from outside.

 

Pidge rolled their eyes, then grinned. “Hey, squirts. Earn your keep. Go help Keith.”

 

Stella and Charlie gaped at Pidge, and Lance nudged Charlie’s shoulder. “C’mon, I’ll help too.”

 

“Did they really just call us squirts?” Charlie asked as he stood, checking to make sure that yes, indeed, they were taller than Pidge. “Really?”

 

“Move it, squirt.” Lance shoved him toward the back and pulled Stella along with them. They walked out to the back parking lot through the propped open door. “Free labor!” Lance called out. 

 

Keith was pulling bags out of his trunk, and turned to hand them over to Charlie. “Sweet. Here.” He grabbed some more to pass to Stella. Lance joined him and grabbed two cases of cokes, leaving the case of waters for Keith to bring in.

 

Lance led the teens to the small kitchen. “Just put the bags there,” he pointed to the small counter by the sink, then turned to the fridge and slid the cases onto a shelf. Keith walked in, and Lance stepped aside to let him put the waters by the cokes.

 

“Thanks.” Keith closed the fridge and turned to the bags, organizing their contents before starting to put them away. Lance joined in to help, while the twins watched with matching grins. Lance and Keith moved around each other seamlessly, brushing past each other but not getting in the other’s way. When they finished, Lance turned to the door and paused when he took in his sibling’s faces.

 

“What?”

 

Stella giggled. “You guys are so cute together.” She grinned wider and tugged Charlie out of the kitchen and back out to the front of the shop.

 

Lance shook his head, smiling when strong arms wrapped around him from behind. Warm lips ghosted up his neck as the arms gently squeezed, and Keith’s chest pressed against his back. “Mmm…”

 

“I can’t stop thinking about last night,” Keith whispered, lips brushing the shell of Lance’s ear.

 

“Aah…” Lance shivered and tilted his head to give Keith more room. “Me-me either.” He gripped Keith’s forearms to steady himself, then, “oh, damn. Not now…oh shit. Charlie and Stella will notice. They’re relentless.” He gently extracted himself from Keith’s embrace and turned to his boyfriend with an apologetic smile.

  
Keith chuckled. “Sorry,” he said, but his tone didn’t match the sentiment. Lance raised a brow, then leaned and stole a quick kiss. Keith tried to follow as Lance pulled away, which had both of them smiling like the saps they were.

 

“I’m gonna…hide in the bathroom for a minute.” Lance send Keith a lopsided grin and pulled away, dashing to said bathroom, Keith’s laugh following him.

 

When he came out a few minutes later, the twins were sprawled on the couch, Keith was perched on one of the armrests, Pidge was tinkering, and Shiro was working on a client. Charlie was playing on his phone while Stella did her best to subtly flirt with Keith. Lance rolled his eyes and walked over to listen.

 

“So…how old are you then?” Stella glanced slyly at Lance, then looked back at Keith’s profile.

 

“Twenty six,” Keith replied, giving Lance a look that asked ‘what is going on?’ Lance shrugged, but didn’t intervene.

 

“Not for long!” Pidge interjected.

 

“Oh?” Stella perked up, “when’s your birthday?”

 

Keith shook his head, “I’m not big on birthdays, don’t worry about it.”

 

“It’s on the twenty-third.”

 

“Pidge!” Keith rolled his eyes.

 

“That’s in ten days!” Stella perked up, “do you have a party planned?”

 

“Uh, no.”

 

“Why not?”

 

“Bells,” Lance warned.

 

“Like I said, I’m not big on birthdays. It’s just another day, and all I get is older.” Keith shrugged.

 

Stella sighed, but dropped the subject. “Well, now we know you’re older than Lance~” she sing-songed. Lance rolled his eyes again with a huff.

 

“Yeah? Do tell.” Keith smirked at Lance.

 

“Lance is twenty six, and his birthday is July twenty-eighth.” Stella gasped. “Lancey! We missed your birthday too!!”

 

“It’s okay Stella Bella.” Lance smiled at his sister, who frowned back.

 

“No it’s not okay. You here, by yourself, and we didn’t even call you on your birthday! Charlie!” Stella smacked Charlie’s leg, and he jumped, looking at everyone in surprise.

 

“Huh?”

 

“We missed Lance’s birthday!”

 

“Oh.” Charlie looked over to Lance. “Sorry, bro.”

 

Lance chuckled. “It’s cool.”

 

Stella growled, “no, it’s not-“

 

“Yes, Stella. It’s fine. Really. Please stop.” Lance cut his hand across the front of his neck, his tone and face brooking no argument. 

 

“Ugh. Fine.” Stella sunk into the couch, arms crossed and lips scrunched into a pout.

 

Lance shook his head and propped his hip against Keith’s leg. Keith looked over at Lance and raised his brows, his face asking ‘you ok?’ Lance nodded and slipped an arm around his waist. They stood like that for a few minutes, letting Stella stew while Charlie went back to his phone, then a client walked in and Keith stood up. “That’s my next appointment. It’s gonna be a long one,” Keith said apologetically.

 

“I better get these grumps back soon anyway,” Lance sighed. He moved over, but Keith caught him for a quick kiss.

 

“See you later,” Keith gave Lance’s hand a squeeze, then said his goodbyes to Stella and Charlie before walking over to his client.

 

“C’mon Charlie Brown, Stella Bella. Let’s get you back.”

 

Shiro looked up from his task. “Nice to meet you guys, have a safe trip home.”

 

“Bye squirts,” Pidge called from her desk.

 

“Bye,” the twins chorused, getting up and following Lance out through the back to his car. The ride back was silent, more because they would be saying goodbye to each other than Stella’s sulk about birthdays. They pulled into the parking lot, and Lance got out with Stella and Charlie. They stood looking at each other for almost a minute, when Stella let out a sob and wrapped her arms around Lance in a tight hug. 

 

“Hey, no worries Bells. I’ll be here, and you can call or text me whenever you like, ok?” Lance hugged her back tight.

 

“I’m gonna miss you so much!” Stella cried into Lance’s shoulder, “it’s not fair!”

 

Lance chuckled, the sound thick in his throat, “that’s a hard lesson to learn, isn’t it?” He reached out for Charlie, snagging his arm and pulling him into the now group hug. “Charlie Brown, take care of Stella for me.” Charlie nodded against Lance’s other shoulder, not trusting himself to speak. “I love you. Both of you, so much. Be good, ok? Don’t give Mamá and Papá too much of a hard time.” There was a mumbled chorus of ‘ok’s and ‘love you too’s, and Lance gave them one more squeeze. “Okay. You better go before they come looking for you.”

 

Charlie backed off first, then Stella. Lance waved as they walked into the hotel hand in hand. He stood there a few moments longer, lip trembling, then shook himself and got back in his car. Lance pulled out his phone and shot Keith a text before driving home.

 

**Lancey Lance**

I have a sinking feeling that this is the last time I’ll ever see my family

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thank you for all the love! Kudos, comments, subscriptions, etc. 
> 
> <3<3


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like my chapters keep getting longer? Definitely not LONG, per se, but longer than previous ones.
> 
> Consider this chapter, it would have been my longest if I wrote their whole day-date in this chapter. But I'm tired, a little lazy, and I felt like there was a lot here already so I'm splitting it into two.
> 
> Anyway, please enjoy!

Saturday seemed to drag by for Lance. Of course it did, he was in a funk. He said goodbye to his brother and sister the night before and couldn’t help the sinking feeling that they’d lose touch and he’d be alone. Well, not alone, but without his family. When he left home he knew it was a strong possibility, but he’d been too angry to be upset about it, and with the lack of contact he didn’t think of it much. Now it was like a slap to his face.

 

He had the forethought to text Coran, Shay, and Hunk before coming in for his shift so they wouldn’t be too worried, or have to ask too many questions. Keith had texted him back last night to see if he wanted company, but Lance told him he wanted to be alone for a while, but he was still looking forward to spending the day together Sunday. Keith didn’t like it, but promised to see him then.

 

When he arrived at the Bakery, he was ambushed into a group hug. It startled a choked laugh out of him.

 

“I know you don’t wanna talk about it, but we’re here for you, buddy,” Hunk told him.

 

“Yes, my boy,” Coran agreed.

 

“We love you, Lance,” Shay whispered.

 

“Aww…guuuyyyys!” Lance whined, “you’re gonna make me cry!”

 

They all laughed and let the moment pass, everyone going to do their morning tasks. If Lance was more quiet than usual, and avoided helping customers, no-one commented on it.

 

He took his usual lunch at the park behind the Bakery, but didn’t people watch like he usually did. His time was spent reflecting on the last few days; Becca’s call, his family surprising him at the Bakery, the meeting at their hotel, oh! his amazing night with Keith, that was a definite plus, and the fun day he got to spend with Stella and Charlie. It amazed him how so much could happen in just three days.

 

He went back to the Bakery in a much better mood. He came out to the front to see Hunk, Shay, and Coran standing by the register quietly discussing something. Hunk saw Lance come in and nudged the other two. They all immediately stopped talking, and Lance’s stomach dropped. “What?”

 

“There’s something here for you, but we don’t know if it’s good or bad,” Shay blurted.

 

Lance blinked, “what do you mean?”

 

“Your family came by,” Coran said gently, “they didn’t ask to see you, but they gave me an envelope for you.”

 

“Another note. Great,” Lance sighed. He debated if he even wanted to read what it said. He hesitated to reach for the envelope, but decided he’d rather know than wonder. Shay handed it over and Lance opened the envelope. He read through it silently first. He frowned, smiled, frowned again, then gasped as tears threatened to spill onto his cheeks. He looked up to his friend’s curious glances and gave them a watery smile before reading the letter aloud.

 

“ _Hermano,_

_You already know we’re going home tomorrow, and I still hate that we’re leaving without you. Charlie and I wish we could stay here with you. Mamá and Papá said we can go wherever we want for college, but until then we need to go home with them. Like we didn’t already know that. I still feel so bad we missed your birthday! Charlie and I stayed up super late last night coming up with an idea, and got up early (yes, early!) to bug Mamá and Papá until they agreed. Since we’re 16 now, we get to share a car, and once it’s summer we’ll be driving pros. So! Get ready for this!_

 

_NEXT SUMMER WE’RE SPENDING A WEEK WITH YOU ON YOUR BIRTHDAY!_

 

_So make sure you’re ready. We’ll nail down a date later._

 

_Hey, it’s Charlie. This was the best fall break ever. ‘Cuz we got to see you. Thank Stella lots, she argued until she was almost blue before Mamá and Papá agreed on this. Mamá doesn’t like it, but Papá said it was ok so she’s putting up with it. We’re gonna have to listen to her tell us how she thinks it’s dangerous, and a bad idea, and asking for trouble, and all that mom stuff until we leave. That’s like almost a whole year we’re putting up with to see you. Just so you know how much we’re willing to put up with for you._

 

_We love you! Tell Keith we’ll see him in July too, because he better still be with you then._

 

_Stella and Charlie_

 

Lance looked back up at his boss and coworkers. The tears began streaming down his cheeks as he started reading out loud. He choked on a sob at the look on Shay’s face. She was crying too. He rushed toward her for another hug. Hunk and Coran joined again as well. “Well now I’m crying!” Lance wailed, and the others laughed. “Oh my god, I’m so excited! I can’t wait to tell Keith!” He pulled away to wipe at his eyes and clutched the letter to his chest.

 

“Go now. I know you’ll be useless until you do, just don’t take too long!” Coran smiled fondly at Lance and shooed him out the front door of the shop. 

 

Lance didn’t need to be told twice. Despite being only two doors down, he ran over to Voltron Tattoo and burst through the door, eyes skipping over Pidge in search of Keith.

 

“Hello to you too,” Pidge grouched.

 

“Sorry Pidge, it’s important, is Keith here?” Lance didn’t stop looking around, even though Keith wasn’t anywhere out front.

 

“He’s obviously not out here, so why don’t you look at me if you’re talking to me.”

 

Lance hunched his shoulders and focused on Pidge. “Sorry,” he mumbled again, “I don’t have much time, I gotta tell him something big.”

 

Pidge sighed and rolled their eyes. “Fine. He’s in the kitchen.” They waved toward the back, but Lance was already halfway there.

 

“Thanks, Pidge!”

 

“Whatever, as long as you tell me too!”

 

“You got it!”

 

Lance looked in the kitchen before bursting in, and sure enough Keith was there. He was standing at the counter, making a sandwich. Lance cleared his throat, he was surprised Keith didn’t hear him come in. Keith didn’t respond. Lance frowned, was Keith ignoring him? Then he noticed the thin red wires coming down from under his hair that led to the phone in his back pocket. He must have been listening to music. Lance thought about sneaking up on him, but didn’t feel like getting punched, so he moved to the counter, a good few feet away, and waved in Keith’s line of vision.

 

Keith startled, nearly tossing his knife as he jerked up to see who it was. “Lance!” he said, louder than usual. He pulled his earbuds out and tossed them over his shoulder. “What- hey, are you ok?” he finally noticed Lance’s red-rimmed eyes and dried tear tracks. He dropped what he was doing and wiped his hands on a paper towel before pulling Lance into a strong hug.

 

“Yeah, I’m ok. I’m way better than ok! These are actually happy tears.” Lance hugged back just as tight, then pulled away and showed Keith the letter. “Read this.”

 

“What?”

 

“It’s from Stella and Charlie, read it.” He shoved the letter at Keith impatiently. “Sorry, I gotta get back to work soon. Please just read it.”

 

“Ok, ok. Hold on.” Keith took the letter and unfolded it. Lance followed Keith’s eyes as they moved over and over across the page, bouncing in place. Keith’s eyes widened, and then he smiled. “Lance! That’s so great!” He pulled Lance into another hug, then changed his mind and pulled Lance’s face to his for an enthusiastic kiss. Lance wrapped his arms around Keith’s neck and giggled into the kiss before backing up again.

 

“I know, I’m so excited! But I gotta get back.” He leaned forward for another quick kiss, which Keith readily gave. “See you tomorrow!” He waved as he jogged back out to the front and stopped by Pidge’s desk. “Here,” he handed the folded letter over, “read this.”

 

Pidge scanned the letter, much faster than Keith did, and grinned. “Honestly, I’m kind of surprised your parents said yes.”

 

“Nah, I’m not. Bells and Chuck would have bugged them to insanity until they gave in.” Lance grinned as he took the letter back. “Tell Shiro for me, ok? I gotta get back to work.”

 

“Later.”

 

“See ya!” Lance rushed back over to the Bakery, and stored the letter safely in his locker before getting back to work.

 

The rest of his day went much, much better.

 

****

 

_Knock Knock_

 

Lance groaned, burying his head in his pillow. Didn’t his neighbors know it was a Sunday morning? And he had the day off? Why is someone knocking?

 

_Knock Knock “Lance?”_

 

“Wha-?” Lance picked his head up and fumbled for his phone. He checked the time, 9:30. Who would be knocking at his door this early on a Sunday morning? His phone buzzed a text in his hand.

 

**Keef**

Dude are you still asleep? Come answer the door.

 

Lance stared at the message for a good ten seconds before it dawned on him. “Shit!” He hopped up and ran to his dresser, pulling out a pair of pajama pants and a t-shirt. He tugged on the pants before rushing to the door as he wrestled with the shirt. That was, unfortunately, a bad idea. He ran into his bedroom door, which was still closed, bumped into the couch, and tripped over a shoe before the shirt was finally in place. He paused for one deep breath, then answered the door as casually as he could. “Hey, you.”

 

Keith raised his brows as he took in Lance’s disheveled appearance. “You were still asleep.”

 

“Details,” Lance waved his hand and stepped back, “c’mon in.” He noticed Keith was carrying a grocery tote bag. “Can I take that? What’s in it?”

 

“Breakfast,” Keith replied as he handed over the bag and shook out his hand, “thought we could cook together.”

 

Lance grinned, then yawned. “Sounds like fun.” He led the way into his kitchen and gently set the bag on the counter. Keith came up behind him, wrapping his arms around Lance’s waist and began peppering kisses up and down his neck. Lance shivered, “mmm…”

 

“Or I could have you for breakfast,” Keith murmured, pressing up against Lance’s back.

 

Lance huffed a nervous laugh. “Maybe later?”

 

Keith smiled, putting a little space between their bodies, “yeah?”

 

“Y-yeah,” Lance stammered before he was caught by another yawn. He tensed, suddenly realizing that he came straight from bed to answer the door. “I need to go brush my teeth!” he exclaimed, shimmying out of Keith’s grasp to dash to the bathroom, “be back in a minute!” Lance shut the door behind him and groaned as quietly as he could. _Maybe later? Oh, god…am I ready for that?_ His dick thought it was a great idea, and he glared down at the slight bulge in his pants. _Go away_ , he thought at it, _I gotta pee_. It, of course, didn’t care, it was too busy imagining what it would feel like to have Keith’s mouth… _NOPE! Stop! Pee first, party later!_ Lance turned on the faucet and splashed cold water on his face. He thought about jumping into a cold shower, but that would go way over his promise of a minute. He went ahead and busied himself by doing what he’d said he needed to do - brush his teeth. By the time he was done, Little Lance was calm enough to let him take care of his bladder as well. So. Brush teeth, check. Pee, check. Wash hands, check. Deep breath…check. Let’s go.

 

He came back to the kitchen to find a mildly worried Keith still standing right where Lance left him. Lance slipped his arms around Keith’s waist, who did the same to him, but the worried look was still there. “What’s up?”

 

“Was that…too much?” Keith asked. When Lance merely raised a brow, he elaborated, “with the having you for breakfast thing. You know we don’t have to do anything you don’t-“ Lance shushed him with a finger and a chuckle.

 

“No. No, it wasn’t too much. I know I can say no, or not yet, or whatever. I wasn’t freaking out about that. Well, I was a little,” Lance pressed his finger harder against Keith’s lips when he took a breath to interrupt, “because I got a little excited, but also nervous. No, I really did need to brush my teeth. There’s no way I’m letting you kiss me if either of us have morning breath.”

 

Keith sighed and tugged Lance closer. “Okay.”

 

Lance turned to the still-full bag. “So what’s for breakfast?”

 

“I brought eggs, bacon, and biscuits. I think I remember seeing butter and jelly in your fridge, so I didn’t bring any.”

 

“Mmm…yeah, I have those. I also have Nutella.”

 

“Nu…tella?” Keith tilted his head while Lance gawked at him.

 

“You’ve never had Nutella?”

 

“No?”

 

Lance gaped. For almost a solid minute. Keith was starting to look worried again when Lance shook his head and grinned, “you’ll love it.”

 

Keith looked skeptical, “what is it?”

 

“It’s delicious.”

 

“Okay but what is it?”

 

“It’s chocolate hazelnut spread. It’s from Europe, Mamá’s German friend introduced…” Lance trailed off as Keith bit his lip and began shaking his head, “what?”

 

“I’m allergic to hazelnuts.”

 

“Oh…” Lance didn’t know what to say. “Well, no Nutella then.”

 

Keith quirked his lips. “Yeah. Must be why I’ve never heard of it.”

 

“Yea. We’ll stick with butter and jelly then.”

 

“You don’t have to-“

 

“What? No way! Then I won’t be able to kiss you!”

 

Keith paused to consider, and shrugged one shoulder, “yeah, that would be kinda bad.”

 

“Bad? Like how bad? Would you go into anaphylactic shock? Do you keep an epipen on you? Do you even need one? I’ll have to check everything in the kitchen, get rid of anything with-“

 

“Lance, calm down!” Keith gripped Lance’s shoulders and leveled him with an intense gaze. “It’s not that bad. I get a little swollen and I’ll have a rash for a few hours. No anaphylaxis. No epipen. Don’t worry about it, ok?”

 

Lance took a few calming breaths, “okay,” he replied, but he still planed to check everything and make his apartment a hazelnut-free zone. Even if it meant giving up Nutella.

 

“Let’s get cooking. I’m starving!” Keith knew a change of subject was the only thing to get Lance back to the present. He reached for the bag and pulled out the few items he’d brought over, and grabbed the tube of biscuits. He turned the tube to find the instructions and set to preheating the oven. Meanwhile, Lance ducked down to pull out two pans for the bacon and eggs.

 

“How do you like your eggs?” he asked Keith, his tone mildly suggestive.

 

“Hah. Nonexistent,” Keith teased, and Lance laughed. “I usually eat them scrambled, but I’m not picky.”

 

“Good because I make a great fried egg.”

 

“Yum.” Keith found a baking sheet under the oven. “I’m gonna pop the biscuits,” he warned before tearing the paper and tapping the tube on the side of the counter, releasing the pressure with a loud ‘pop’! He arranged the biscuits on the pan, and set it aside.

 

Lance pulled down three plates and two small bowls. On one plate he layered paper towels to drain the bacon, while the other two were set aside. He began cracking eggs into one of the bowls. “How many eggs do you want?”

 

“Three.”

 

Lance nodded, cracking three eggs into each bowl. He set the pans on the stove, but didn’t turn on the burners just yet. He backed up to lean against the counter across from the stove to wait for the oven to preheat. Keith joined him, standing in front of him and sliding his hands into place on his hips. Lance tilted his head as Keith leaned in, his own hands running up Keith’s arms to tangle in the hair on the back of his head. Keith closed the distance between them, lips meeting just before their bodies connected as well. They kissed slowly, leisurely, tongues tangling and lips sliding. They moved against each other, bodies pressing and grinding as they let heat build between them. 

 

They were panting by the time the oven beeped to let them know it was done preheating. Keith backed off with a groan, which Lance reciprocated. Keith took a moment to adjust himself, smirking at Lance’s flush, then turned to put the biscuits in the oven and set the timer. He turned back to see Lance’s glazed eyes staring at his crotch, and realized he’d been ogling his ass. “Like what you see?” he asked with a grin.

 

Lance jolted, and flushed even deeper, “uh…hell. Yes.” He stepped forward and reached around to grab Keith’s ass, pulling Keith flush against him. Keith moaned at the friction and pulled Lance in for another quick kiss before gently pushing him away.

 

“Tease,” Keith rasped, nipping Lance’s bottom lip as they separated. He took a moment to collect himself, holding Lance at arm’s length. “I’m gonna get started on the bacon.” He turned back to the stove and turned on the burner, then opened the package of bacon and set it beside the stove. Lance handed him a fork and the plate with paper towels, which he set by the bacon. When the pan was hot enough, he arranged the strips in it with a sizzle, turning them with the fork as needed.

 

Lance waited until there were five minutes left on the biscuits before starting on the eggs. He dropped coconut oil in the pan, waited for it to melt, then added one set of the eggs. He let the bottoms set, then began spooning the oil over the eggs to cook the tops as well. When the first three were done, he moved them to one of the plates, placing the other plate over it to keep in the heat, and went to work on the second set.

 

When the timer went off, Keith had just finished the bacon, and Lance was almost done with the eggs. He moved to the side to let Keith get the biscuits out, turning off the oven when the door closed again. Lance uncovered the first set of eggs, sliding the second set onto the other plate. He made sure everything on the stove was turned off, then brought the plates to the bar while Keith set the bacon and biscuits close by. Lance got out forks and knives. Keith pulled the butter and jelly out of the fridge. Lance frowned at their plates, something was missing.

“Oh!” Lance smacked his forehead with his free hand.

 

“What?”

 

“I didn’t make any coffee!”

 

Keith chuckled, “oh, well. We can have coffee later.” He looked in the fridge again, but all Lance had to drink was cokes. “How about water?”

 

Lance grinned sheepishly. “Yeah, water’s good.” He pulled down two glasses, filing them from the sink, and set them by their plates. They sat down together, Keith passing over a biscuit while Lance divided the bacon between them.

 

They ate together in companionable silence, and when they finished cleaned up with the same comfortable quiet between them. When they finished, Lance looked down at himself and realized, “I need to take a shower.”

 

“Okay.” Keith finished drying the last pan and put it away.

 

Lance hesitated. He didn’t want to leave Keith alone while he got ready, and their earlier make out session was still affecting him. “Um…” 

 

Keith looked over at Lance, hands stuffed in his pockets, which only drew Lance’s attention to the bulge still there. “Hmm?”

 

Lance groaned in his head, and blushed. “Would you, uh, would you like to, um…” he forced himself to look Keith in the eye, “…join me?”

 

Keith blinked. “Yeah?”

 

“Yeah.” Lance bit his lip, but maintained eye contact.

 

“Yes,” Keith breathed and reached out to take Lance’s hand. Lance smiled and led them to the bathroom. He got the water started, then turned back to Keith, his lip caught between his teeth again. Keith slid his hand under the hem of Lance’s shirt and pressed it against his side. “Can I?” Lance nodded, and Keith’s other hand joined the first, sliding up, up, up, bringing Lance’s shirt up and over his head. Keith shrugged off his own shirt and opened his jeans, pausing to let Lance get a good look, then slipped his fingers into the waistband of Lance’s briefs. He waited just a moment to give Lance an opportunity to stop him. When Lance wiggled his hips instead, Keith tugged down, pulling his pants and briefs down at the same time, letting them drop to the floor. Lance stepped out of his clothes while Keith shucked his own pants and briefs off, along with his socks.

 

They stood before each other, fully naked, and Lance giggled. Keith raised a brow, which made Lance giggle all the more. “S-s-sorry,” Lance put his hands on his cheeks, “I’m a little nervous and all I can focus on is how yours is bigger than mine.”

 

Keith smirked, stepping forward to bring their cocks closer together. He looked down, “hmm…it is, isn’t it?” With one hand Keith took his own cock in hand and grabbed Lance’s with the other. “Not that it matters.”

 

Lance gasped, hips jerking forward into the touch. “O-oh! of course y-you’d, ah, say that.”

 

“Mmm…” Keith gave both cocks one slow stroke, then let go and stepped around Lance to get in the shower. “You coming?”

 

“Uh…” Lance turned to see Keith still smirking at him, and grinned. “I better!” He joined Keith in the shower and closed the curtain. Keith pulled Lance toward him under the spray, lips joining in a heated kiss. Lance moaned as Keith licked into his mouth. Keith’s hands were everywhere, carding through Lance’s hair, sliding down his back, gripping his ass, running up his front to press palms against his nipples, then back to the small of his back to rub their cocks together. Keith had them both panting when he moved his moth to Lance’s jaw, pressing kisses to his ear and down his neck. He turned Lance and pressed his back against the tiled wall as he sucked a mark at the base of his neck. “Hah!” Lance shivered and complained, “cold!”

 

“Sorry.” Keith didn’t sound sorry at all as he slid his lips back up Lance’s neck to whisper in his ear, “is it later now? I’d love to have you for dessert.” He licked Lance’s ear, enjoying the feeling of Lance shivering against him. 

 

“Oh, god…I-I want…yes, p-please!” Lance’s chest heaved as he rubbed against Keith. His hands finally found their way into his hair, and he groaned as he felt Keith’s lips kiss farther down, down, down, over his chest, pausing to lick at his nipples, then farther down, tongue dipping in his navel. Keith kneeled down then, lips dragging across hip bones and nipping close to his groin. “Oh! Ah, mmm…K-Keith!” Lance’s fingers tightened in Keith’s hair, tugging on the strands without any set direction.

 

Keith leaned back a bit to look up at Lance, smirking at the open mouth and glazed eyes staring down at him. He slowly leaned in, stuck his tongue out, and licked a thick stripe up Lance’s throbbing cock.

 

“A-ah! Oh, oh my god!” Lance bucked his hips forward, smacking Keith in the face with his cock. “Shit, shit, sorry, shit, fuh-fuck.” Keith gripped his hips to help keep him still, and licked his cock like a lollipop again. “Oh, fuck! Keith!”

 

“You’re loud,” Keith commented. When Lance stammered another ’s-so-sorry,’ Keith shook his head. “I like it.” He eyed the bead of clear precum beading at the tip and licked it off, savoring the slightly bitter taste, as well as the loud moan from Lance. With another quick glance up at Lance’s face, Keith leaned forward and wrapped his lips around the head and gently sucked.

 

Lance cried out, head flinging back to smack into the shower wall as his knees threatened to buckle under him. His fingers flexed in the dark hair as Keith slowly worked his way down Lance’s shaft, only stopping when the head touched the back of his throat. “Oh, fuck…” Lance sagged against the wall, his head tipping back as his eyes screwed shut. He had to spend far too much of his mental capacity in keeping himself standing, but at least it kept him from coming embarrassingly fast. Keith lifted his right hand off of Lance’s hip, and his body tried to buck against the remaining hand, but Keith’s grip was strong. He pulled back, hollowing his cheeks, then pressed forward again, tongue swirling along the underside of Lance’s cock. “Fuuuuck, fuckfuckfuck…god, Keith! F-fuck!”

 

Keith popped off, right hand coming up to pump Lance’s dick while he smirked up at Lance. “You’re saying ‘fuck’ a lot now, too. I really like that.” He quickly swallowed Lance as far as he could go, determined to hear that word many, many more times before he finished. His hand dropped back down to wrap around his own cock, pumping in time with the movements of his mouth.

 

“Oh my-oh! Oh, fuck, Keith! Yes, yes, fuck yes-ah! Mmmh!” Lance couldn’t help but watch now, how Keith’s head bobbed, how his cock disappeared between those soft lips, how fucking good that tongue felt rubbing in just the right places. Suddenly, Lance’s muscles were tensing up, the coil deep within him was tighter than he’d ever felt it, and, “oh, shit! Shit Keith I’m…I’m! Fuck, Keith! A-ah!” he came in Keith’s mouth, who moaned around the pulsing cock and salty fluid filling his mouth. Lance’s whole body shuddered as his dick throbbed and unloaded over Keith’s tongue. He whimpered as Keith kept gently sucking on him, drawing out every last drop, before he shivered and pulled Keith’s head away. Lance watched in fascination as Keith licked his lips and swallowed. He moaned as his cock twitched at the sight.

 

Keith slowly stood up and leaned in close, but didn’t move in for a kiss like Lance had anticipated. With his hands still buried in Keith’s hair, Lance pulled him in for a kiss himself. It was lazy, gentle, and Lance tasted himself on Keith’s tongue. He was surprisingly okay with it. When they pulled apart, Lance was blushing, but his smile looked quite satisfied. “Hot damn.”

 

Keith smirked, then tucked his face into the crook of Lance’s shoulder, “yeah.”

 

“Hey, do you want me to…uh…y’now…?”

 

“I’m good.”

 

Lance snorted, “really?”

 

Keith shifted, pressing his now soft cock against Lance’s hip. “Couldn’t help myself. You tasted so good.”

 

Lance furrowed his brow, what did that mean? He couldn’t help himself? “Oh. _Oh!_ Gotcha.”

 

“We better get cleaned up before the hot water runs out.” Keith stepped back and got back under the spray to rinse himself off.

 

“Right! Yeah.” Lance straightened up, stepping away from the wall on slightly shaky legs. He trembled for just a moment before getting himself under control, and poked at Keith until he got out of the way. “Move. I know you showered already. I gotta get clean.” They switched places, Lance soaking under the spray for just a moment before he grabbed his shampoo and started lathering up.

 

“I’m gonna get out. Where can I grab a towel?” Keith tugged the far corner of the shower curtain and slipped out.

 

“In the cabinet,” Lance replied as he rinsed out the shampoo and moved on to conditioner. As he let that set, he poured body wash on a wash cloth and lathered himself up. He had to be extra gentle over his still-sensitive cock, even the slightest pressure of the cloth made his whole body shudder. He liked it. Once he rinsed off his body, he turned the water almost cold and rinsed the conditioner from his hair. Then he shut the water off and opened the curtain to a half dressed Keith. “Hi.”

 

Keith’s eyes slowly traveled up Lance’s body, lingering around his middle for long enough that Lance flushed. “Hi.”

 

Lance grabbed his own towel, hanging from the rack beside the bathroom door, and quickly dried himself off as Keith finished getting dressed and went out to the living room. He wrapped the towel around his waist, gathered his discarded clothes, and went into his bed room, leaving the door open. Lance dumped his clothes in the hamper and opened up his closet to choose his outfit for the day. He pulled out a pair of slightly loose jeans and a dark blue henley, tossing them on the bed as he passed it heading for the dresser to pull out a pair of briefs. He felt eyes on his back as he dropped the towel and began pulling on his clothes, but ignored it. He checked himself in the mirror, and spied Keith watching him from the doorway. Lance caught Keith’s eyes and smiled as he grabbed a brush off his dresser to smooth his hair into place.

 

Keith was leaning against the doorjamb, arms crossed over his chest as he watched Lance get dressed. “I’m gonna take a wild guess and say that was your first blow job.”

 

Lance choked on his spit, blushing up from under his shirt, and grinned at Keith’s reflection. “That…that would be correct, yes.”

 

Keith looked troubled for a moment, “can I ask…I mean, um. I just…uh, well, ugh!” He rolled his eyes at himself, then blurted out, “are you a virgin?”

 

Lance frowned, “does that matter?”

 

“No, not…well, kinda? I mean…I just…don’t want to assume anything. I know being with a guy is new for you, but if you’ve never been with _anyone_ then I don’t wanna…rush you, or anything.” Keith glared at the floor just in front of his feet, his shoulders were tense.

 

Lance sighed. “Yeah, I can understand that.” He turned around and waited for Keith to look up and see his smile. “No, I’m not a virgin. I’ve been with a girl, once. It was awkward, probably because it was a first for both of us.”

 

Keith tentatively smiled back.

 

Lance thought for a moment, then smirked. “But I hear there’s another virginity I haven’t lost yet.” He winked at Keith, who groaned as he rolled his eyes and walked off to the living room. Lance laughed as he followed Keith to the couch. Keith sat down at one end, and Lance flopped down, laying his head in Keith’s lap and dangling his feet over the other end. “Wanna watch a movie? I’m still kinda wobbly from that amazing first blow job ever.”

 

Keith shook his head, but was smiling when he reached for the remote to turn on Netflix. “As long as I get to pick.”

 

“Deal.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks, as always, for reading, sending kudos, leaving comments, and subscribing!
> 
> Check out my tumblr! [@krysblack](https://krysblack.tumblr.com)


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The rest of the day date! A little more smut, and a lot more fluff! Also, a teeny bit of drama.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear, this story is writing itself. Moving along a bit faster than I intended, but I think it works? Whatever, here it is!

Keith picked Hot Fuzz, and chuckled when Lance hissed ‘yes!’ He played with Lance’s hair as they watched, while Lance seemed to doze.

 

But Lance wasn’t dozing. He was thinking. He thought about their relationship so far, how he’d never felt so comfortable with anyone in his life, how Keith was so unbelievably hot and yet took things slow just for him. He thought about how, hopefully soon, they would have sex. How would it feel? Would it hurt? He couldn’t really remember much of his first and only time, and figured it wouldn’t be a good basis for comparison anyway. Then he wondered, “who would top?”

 

“Hmm?” Keith started a bit, not realizing Lance was still awake, and looked down at him.

 

“Uh…” Lance turned red, he definitely did not mean to say that out loud, “I, um…was just thinking…out loud?”

 

Keith raised a brow, and was going to let it go, when Lance flushed even deeper. He smirked, “care to share with the rest of the class?”

 

“Oh, god…” Lance covered his face with his hands and shook his head, mumbling into his palms.

 

“Sorry, I didn’t catch that,” Keith teased as he reached down and lifted Lance’s hands. “Try again.”

 

Lance glared up at Keith with a huff, then tugged his hands free and sat up. He scooted over until their thighs were touching and fiddled with the hem of his shirt, eyes watching his fingers intently. “I was thinking, about a lot of things. And I started thinking about…um, later, when we’d…have….have sex. And I was, um, wondering…how it would, uh, feel and…if it would, y’know, hurt and stuff. And then I, um, I wondered who would…uh, y’know…be on top. I, uh, I guess that would be you, right?”

 

While Lance was talking, Keith paused the movie and slid his arm across the back of the couch, gaze flicking from Lance’s face to his hands and back. When Lance finished, he took a deep breath, let it out slowly, and placed his free hand over Lance’s to still his nervous fingers. “Well, that’s definitely something we should talk about. We can do that now, or some other time if you’re not comfortable.”

 

Lance looked up at Keith and smiled in relief, glad he wasn’t over thinking this. “We can talk about it now. We kind of already are.”

  
“True.” Keith smiled back and gently squeezed Lance’s hands. “How about you ask me what you want to know, and I’ll answer them as best as I can.”

 

“Yeah, okay.” Lance took a deep breath, exhaling slowly as he thought about what to ask. “Well, uh, first things first I guess. Do you top?”

 

“Yes,” Keith began, hiding his smirk as Lance’s eyes widened just a fraction, “but I bottom too.”

 

“Yeah?” Lance willed his heart rate to calm down. Why was he so nervous? They’re just talking!

 

Keith nodded,“mmm.”

 

Lance postponed his next question to ask, “which do you like better?”

 

Keith chuckled. “Hmm…it’s a close call.” He thought about it for a few moments, then came to a decision, “I prefer to top.”

 

“O-okay,” Lance’s mouth suddenly felt dry, and he tried to swallow. “So, um…does it hurt?”

 

“Bottoming?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“It can be uncomfortable the first time. It might even sting a little, but after you adjust it’s just…really good. If it’s painful, something’s not right.”

 

“Can you, um…explain how…um, what would be…not right? If it’s painful?”

 

“Oh, sure. If you’re not fully prepared it can hurt. If you’re not stretched out enough, or if there’s not enough lube. Or if you’re not ready, if you’re too tense.”

 

“Oh.”

 

“Have you, um, do you know the basics of anal sex?”

 

“Y-yea…yeah. I’ve read up on it. I had to sift through a ton of porn to find good articles but…yeah. I just…reading it and doing it are…well, y’know…way different.”

 

Keith laughed. “Oh, man. Yeah. I learned the hard way too, never google how to gay sex. It’s just a sea of bad porn.”

 

Lance giggled, “I’m just glad I did that research after I moved here. My dad’s an IT Tech and would do random checks on all our stuff.” 

 

Keith grimaced. “That must have sucked.”

 

“Yeah,” Lance shrugged, “until I took an IT class in college. The TA taught us how to cover our tracks and erase evidence. I taught the twins as soon as I got home.”

 

Keith perked up, “where did you go to school?”

 

“Valencia,” Lance slouched over a bit, leaning into Keith, who draped his arm down Lance’s side and rested his hand on his hip. “I finished three semesters before giving up. I couldn’t figure out what I wanted to do. Then I landed that guest relations job at Disney, and just never went back.” He snuggled closer and linked fingers with Keith’s free hand. “What about you?”

 

“Nah, I graduated high school and never looked back. I took a lot of art, and Shiro was already training me to become a tattoo artist so I started working as his apprentice the day after graduation.” Keith settled into the embrace, giving Lance’s hand a squeeze. He slipped his other fingers under the hem of Lance’s shirt, who shivered when Keith’s fingers grazed his side.

 

“Hmm…” Lance nuzzled Keith’s neck and sighed. Keith took that as a good sign and gently rand his fingers up and down Lance’s side, enjoying how Lance’s abs tensed and fluttered when he got too close to a ticklish spot. After a few minutes, Lance exhaled a shuddering breath and ghosted his lips across Keith’s neck. Keith tilted his head in invitation, and Lance wasted no time pressing kisses up to his ear and back down to his shoulder to bite at the junction there. Keith hummed and shifted his hips, gripping Lance’s side for a moment before resuming his gentle caresses.

 

“Mmm, Lance…” Keith breathed when Lance sucked where he bit Keith’s shoulder. Lance straightened up to look at Keith, cheeks flushed and lips shiny. Keith darted forward to capture Lance’s lips with his, and Lance pressed back in earnest. They relaxed against each other as they kissed, hands wandering over and under shirts as they took their time exploring each other. Hand became bolder, and shirts were pushed up out of the way, letting fingers find nipples to caress and pinch, earning sounds of appreciation from both. Soon Lance was rutting against Keith’s thigh and the room felt suddenly too hot. Lance trailed his hand down to palm the erection straining in Keith’s jeans, earning him a loud moan.

 

Lance sat up suddenly, cheeks flushed, though he kept his hand on Keith’s cock. “Can I…I want to…” He cleared his throat and averted his eyes. Keith waited patiently for him to continue. Lance took a fortifying breath and locked eyes with Keith, “um, what you did in the shower. To you.”

 

Keith’s lips curved up in the hint of a smile and cupped Lance’s cheek. “I’d like that, but only if you want to.”

 

“I want to,” Lance replied, smiling back through his blush. He slid off the couch to kneel in front of Keith, who spread his knees to give Lance room. Lance ran his hands up the inside of Keith’s thighs, brushing over his erection to pop the button and lower the zipper of his jeans. Keith lifted his hips and helped pull his jeans and underwear down enough to free his cock, the hard length bouncing against his abdomen once released from his clothes. Lance gulped, eyes looking between Keith’s face and his cock. He grinned, nervous, and licked his lips. “You’ll help me?”

 

“Yeah.” Keith carded his fingers through Lance’s hair, resting his hand gently on the back of Lance’s head. “Take it slow, ok? Explore a little, see if you like it. If you don’t, it’s okay. You can stop and we’ll do something else.” He gently rubbed his fingertips against Lance’s scalp while his other hand pushed his shirt up again. “I’m not gonna come in your mouth this time, ok? That’s a lot and I don’t want you to choke.” Lance relaxed under Keith’s massage and nodded, resting his cheek against Keith’s thigh, eyelids drooping, and hummed in contentment. Keith chuckled and let go of Lance’s head. “Are you falling asleep? I didn’t think I was that boring,” he joked.

 

Lance blinked a few times, looked up at Keith’s smirk, and giggled as another blush stained his cheeks. “Haven’t you noticed? I fall asleep every time you play with my hair, so it’s your own fault,” he teased back before sitting up straight and leaning forward. He reached out his right hand and grasped Keith’s cock, slowly pumping and pulling down his foreskin. 

 

Keith moaned and bucked his hips once, then curled his hands into fists and held himself still. “Ah…true…” He moaned again when Lance’s fingers trailed down to his balls as he brought his face close enough Keith could feel his breath on his cock. Lance mimicked Keith and tentatively licked up Keith’s cock. “Oh, f-fuck-ah!” Keith clenched his muscles to keep his hips still. He dropped his head back against the couch, but quickly changed his mind and looked down at Lance. He definitely wanted to watch. Lance kept his gaze on Keith’s cock and licked it again, swiping across the head this time to gather the bead of precum sitting there. He moaned as he got a taste of Keith, and licked once more. Keith’s breath stuttered as he gripped the couch cushion, “mmmmh!” Lance grinned, pleased he could make Keith feel good, and straightened up a little to wrap his lips around the head of his cock. He licked around the flesh in his mouth, then slid down to take in a little more. Keith groaned and shifted his hips, sliding forward a little to give Lance better access. “Oh! Yeah…mmmm…damn.”

 

Lance popped off to lick some more, working Keith’s cock with his hand as he gathered the courage to go again. He took one more deep breath, then opened his mouth wide and sucked his cock down as far as he dared. Keith cried out and let his head fall back as his hands worked the cushion beneath him. “Fuck, Lance!” Lance hummed and slid down a little more while Keith heaved deep breaths to keep himself still. “Oh, shit.” Lance glanced up at Keith and pushed himself down even farther. He went too far, though, and gagged, quickly pulling himself off to breathe. Keith stilled and looked down in worry. “You oh-okay?”

 

“Yeah,” Lance rasped, “just went too far.”

 

“Don’t push yourself.” Keith dared to let go of the cushion with one hand to thread his fingers in Lance’s hair.

 

Lance leaned into the touch. “It’s good?”

 

“Fuck yeah,” Keith sighed, “so good.” He ran his fingers through Lance’s hair one more time, then went back to gripping the couch cushion.

 

“Good.” Lance sunk his mouth down on Keith with more confidence, sinking down just shy of his gag reflex, and sucked. Keith groaned and reached for Lance’s hair again, but dropped his hand back to the couch before he touched. Lance noticed, but was too focused on what he was doing to acknowledge it. He started to work Keith’s cock, head bobbing up and down while he maintained suction. He pressed his tongue to the vein along the under side of Keith’s cock, and paused every few bobs to flick his tongue over the head and into the slit.

 

“Unh! Oooh! Fuck, Lance! Holy shit-ah!” Keith had the cushion in a white-knuckle grip at this point, and his thighs were trembling from the effort of keeping his hips still. Lance picked up the pace, emboldened by Keith’s vocal approval. Keith’s moans picked up in pace and tone, and his abs clenched as he got worked up farther and farther. “Oh-oh shit, Lance! A-ah! F-f-fuck, oh! Shit, Lance, Lance I’m close!” Lance took the hint and lifted off, replacing his mouth with his hand to finish Keith off. Keith hiked his shirt up again as he groaned and dropped his head back on the back of the couch. He thrust into Lance’s hand twice before he froze, muscles tensing as he came over his stomach. “A-ah! Oh, fff-fuck!” Lance worked him through his orgasm, slowing down as Keith began to shudder, and stopped when he let out a whine. Lance looked at the mess on his hand and brought it close to his face. He debated for a moment, then shrugged and licked the stripe of cum off the back of his hand. Keith was watching, and groaned at the sigh, his cock twitching and spurting another bit of cum onto his stomach. “Fuck, Lance…”

 

Lance giggled, and stood up, holding his soiled hand off to the side. “Be right back.” He walked awkwardly to the bathroom to wash his hands and wet a washcloth for Keith. He came back and knelt down in front of Keith again, gently cleaning him up. Keith relaxed under the attention, his head lolling back and his hands resting at his sides. Lance smiled and dropped the cloth on the floor as he tried to pull Keith’s jeans back up. “Lift your ass,” he teased. Keith groaned, but did as asked. Lance pulled his jeans and underwear back up, tucked his now soft cock away, and fastened his jeans. “There.”

 

“What about you?” Keith asked, snagging Lance’s hands and pulling him onto his lap. He looked pointedly down at the bulge in his jeans. “That looks uncomfortable.”

 

Lance blushed and shifted, “i-it is.” Keith smirked and pushed Lance to the side, laying him down on the couch. “Woah! Wha-?”

 

“Let me take care of that,” Keith murmured. He placed his hands on the button of Lance’s jeans and looked up at him. “Yeah?”

 

Lance moaned and nodded. “Y-yeah.” Keith quickly opened his jeans and pulled his cock out. He pumped the rigid length a few times, relishing how it throbbed in his hand as Lance groaned and grabbed his shirt in tight fists. Keith smirked and shuffled into a better position, hovering over Lance’s cock. He waited until Lance looked down at him, and swallowed him whole, nose pressing into the curls down at his base. Lance’s whole body went taught at the sensation and he let out a loud moan. “Ooooh, oh! Oh, fuck! Holy-holy shit! OH!” Lance shuddered as Keith swallowed around him. “Hah-ah, fuck, fuck! Shit I’m gonna-I’m gonna come!” Keith swallowed again, and Lance cried out as he shot his orgasm straight down Keith’s throat. “Oh my-oh fuck, Keith!” Keith swallowed around Lance’s cock one more time, wringing another shot of cum from him before lifting of to smirk up at Lance, who was staring dazedly down at him. “Holy shit…”

 

Keith chuckled, grabbing the still moist wash cloth off the floor to wipe Lance down before tucking him away and buttoning him back up. “You like that?”

 

“Like is an understatement,” Lance chuckled. “Oh my god…I’ve never…uh,” he giggled, “I’ve never come twice in one day before.”

 

“No?” Keith dropped the cloth back on the floor and shuffled up to lay beside Lance, squishing himself against the back of the couch. He threw and arm and leg over Lance and nuzzled into his neck.

 

“No.” Lance turned to tangle himself up with Keith, eyes slipping closed as he hummed, content.

 

“Mmm…a challenge for another day.”

 

“What?”

 

“How many times you can come in one day.”

 

Lance shivered. “Fuck,” he whispered into Keith’s hair. “I may not survive that.”

 

Keith chuckled, “maybe not, but what a way to go.” Lance yawned and snuggled closer. Keith poked his side. “Hey, are you falling asleep?”

 

“Mmh. Need coffee,” Lance mumbled.

 

Keith nudged him. “Well I don’t know how to work your fancy machine. C’mon, up, up.” He managed to untangle himself from Lance and stood up, pulling Lance up with him. Lance groaned, but followed Keith to the kitchen. Once there, he perked up a bit and busied himself with making the coffees. Keith propped his hip against the counter to watch. “So, did you like it?”

 

“Hmm?”

 

“Giving head, how was it?”

 

“Oh,” Lance hunched his shoulders, and Keith could see the back of his neck turn red. “I, uh…I liked it.”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Yeah. You, um…you taste good. And your…ahem, your cum.”

 

Keith chuckled and moved up behind Lance. He pressed against his back, wrapped his arms around Lance’s waist, and nuzzled his neck. “I’m glad you liked it.”

 

Lance leaned back into Keith, then turned with a cup of black coffee for him. “Here you go.”

 

“Thanks.” Keith went back to his spot by the counter to sip his cup while Lance worked on another for himself. He checked the time, nearly noon. “Is there anything you wanted to do today?”

 

Lance turned around with his finished coffee and shrugged. “I didn’t really have any plans, what about you?”

 

“Besides breakfast, no.”

 

Lance took a sip from his mug and hummed in thought. “I’ve been slacking in the grocery department, as I’m sure you’ve noticed. Wanna go shopping with me?”

 

Keith chuckled, “sure. Wanna grab lunch before or after?”

 

“Let’s get lunch before. Then when we go shopping I’ll pick up something for dinner we can make here, if that’s okay?” Lance averted his gaze, hoping he wasn’t being too presumptuous in thinking Keith would stay for dinner.

 

“Sounds great,” Keith smiled, nudging Lance’s ankle with his foot. 

 

Lance looked up and grinned. “Sweet!” They finished their coffees in comfortable silence while they played footsie across from each other, Lance giggling the whole time. When they finished, Lance rinsed their cups and set them aside, then dashed to his bedroom for socks. When he slid back into the living room Keith was ready to go, so Lance quickly put his shoes on. He grabbed his wallet and keys, then opened the door with a flourish. “After you.”

 

Keith chuckled and shook his head, but led the way out and down to Lance’s car. They got in, Lance started the engine, and made his way out of the parking lot. “Where should we eat?”

 

“Where do you get groceries?”

 

“Walmart.”

 

“So somewhere close by there or on the way.”

 

“Hmm…oh! What about Whataburger? I haven’t been there in a while.”

 

“Yeah, they’re always good.” Keith relaxed into his seat as Lance pulled out into traffic. They chatted about random things as Lance drove, and the trip seemed much shorter than it was. They parked at Whataburger and got out of the car. As they crossed the parking lot, Keith brushed his hand against Lance’s in a silent question. Lance bit his lip and took Keith’s hand. They linked fingers and walked into the restaurant together. There was a short line, and they stood at the end to wait their turn. The line moved slowly, but neither of them minded. A few people stood behind them as well, but they paid them no mind. Finally, it was their turn. They stepped up to the register, Keith gesturing for Lance to order first. When both orders were in, both of them reached for their wallets. Lance argued that Keith brought breakfast, but Keith argued that Lance was getting dinner, so Keith won and got to pay. They took their number and got their drinks, then found a small booth, sitting across from each other. Keith casually held Lance’s hand over the table, to which Lance giggled and hid his face behind his other hand. 

 

“Keith?”

 

Both young men looked up at the sound, and saw a young woman standing by their table. She was a tall blonde, and she glanced between the two of them with a strange look on her face. 

 

Keith took a fortifying breath. “Nyma.” He tried to sound pleasantly surprised, but Lance could hear the forced tone.

 

“Oh, Keith. I haven’t seen you in _ages_! Who’s your friend?” Nyma pulled up a chair and sat down backward in it, folding her arms across the top.

 

“Nyma, this is Lance. Lance, Nyma. Rolo’s sister.” Keith gripped Lance’s hand as he tried to pull away, his mouth pressed into a polite smile.

 

“Nice to meet you, Nyma,” Lance turned toward the young woman with a smile.

 

“Nice to meet you, Lance. My, aren’t you cute? Are you single?” Nyma fluttered outrageously false lashes at Lance.

 

“Um…” Lance pointedly glanced at his and Keith’s joined hands. “no, I’m not.”

 

Nyma exaggerated a pout. “Well, who is she? I’m sure I’m better than her. And then we can go on double dates with Rolo and Keith!”

 

“Nyma,” Keith blew an exasperated sigh. “Rolo and I aren’t together any more. It’s been, what, three years? Please.”

 

“Oh, honey,” Nyma patted Keith’s shoulder in sympathy, “I know. This break is hard on both of you, but Rolo’s waiting for you. He’s forgiven you.”

 

Lance gaped while Keith rolled his eyes. “You know that goes the other way around. And I have forgiven him. Doesn’t mean I want him back. Now if you’ll excuse us, I’m on a date with my boyfriend.”

 

Nyma waved her hand in dismissal. “Keith, sweetie. Don’t lie to me. Rolo told me you ate at his place a couple of months ago. I knew you’d work it out and get back together! It’ll be so fun when we can all double date together!”

 

Keith grit his teeth, his free hand curling into a fist on the table, “Nyma…”

 

“Listen, sugar,” Lance cut in before Keith could explode, “I can see you’re ten miles past crazy town, so let’s just stop this right here. Rolo’s old news, and he knows it. It’s time you did too. Also, there’s no way in Hell I’d date you, like, ever. So please, let’s not cause a scene here, it won’t look good for you.”

 

Nyma bit her lip as tears welled in her eyes. “You…what?”

 

“You heard me,” Lance shifted away from her, “it was…weird meeting you. Please leave.”

 

“Keith!” Nyma whined.

 

“You want me to repeat what Lance said?” Keith warned, “‘cuz I will, but I’ll actually make you cry.”

 

“I…I’ll…I’ll tell Rolo what happened today. He’ll change his mind about taking you back!” Nyma jumped up out of her chair and stormed out of the restaurant.

 

“I’m devastated,” Keith muttered and covered his face with his free hand, just as an employee walked up with their food.

 

“I didn’t want to interrupt, figured it would make it worse,” the young man apologized.

 

“Thanks,” Lance said, moving to make room for the tray bearing their food.

 

“Don’t mention it. That girl is crazy, and she hangs out here all the time, no idea why.” He set down the tray and offered them condiments from the second tray he had underneath the first. Keith shook his head, but Lance chose the spicy ketchup and a few extra napkins. “Don’t worry about her, yeah? You guys are cute,” he added with a wink and put Nyma’s abandoned chair away before making his way back behind the counter.

 

Lance and Keith stared at each other for a solid minute. Lance let out a giggle, and Keith couldn’t help but chuckle. Soon they were both laughing at the absurdity of what just happened.

 

“Oh my god, dude,” Lance wheezed, “that girl was Crazy with a capital C!”

 

“No kidding. She’s always been that way too. Well, when she’s off her meds.” Keith shook his head as he gathered his composure and opened his sandwich. Lance followed suit, and they dug in to their lunch. After a few minutes, Keith set his sandwich down and looked over at Lance. “You were…pretty impressive, telling Nyma off like that.”

 

Lance blushed, “yeah?”

 

Keith hooked his foot around Lance’s calf. “Yeah. It was pretty hot,” he murmured with a sly smirk.

 

“Oh,” Lance bit his lip and shifted in his seat. “You’re gonna make grocery shopping difficult, aren’t you?” he asked with a coy look.

 

“Would you like me to?” Keith winked as his foot rubbed Lance’s calf.

 

Lance sucked in a deep breath, “yes and no.” He squirmed again playfully glared at Keith.   
  
Keith took pity on Lance and dropped his foot. “I’ll be nice.” They quickly finished their meal and cleaned up, Lance gathering the trash and Keith throwing it all away. Keith reached out for Lance’s hand again as they walked out, and Lance gladly took it.

 

 

When they arrived at Walmart, Keith pulled Lance into a heated kiss before they stepped out of his car. Lance groaned, “I thought you were going to be nice,” he whined.

 

“This isn’t nice?” Keith asked in mock innocence.

 

“The kiss is very nice,” Lance conceded, “but it’s not so nice in my pants. Definitely more along the lines of uncomfortable.” Keith hesitated, and was ready to apologize when Lance cut him off. “No, no. I see the look on your face. I’m not mad, promise. Just…uncomfortable. I’ll be okay in a minute.” Keith nodded and backed off, but not before Lance caught his hand and laced their fingers together. They sat together quietly for a few minutes, Lance leaned back with his eyes closed, Keith watching him carefully. Soon enough, Lance opened his eyes and grinned over at Keith. “Ready?”

 

“Ready.” They stepped out and walked into the store, snagging a cart and wheeling it into the grocery department. Lance led the way to the back of the store to begin his shopping routine. They goofed off while Lance shopped; Lance dancing to the little video advertisements placed on certain end caps, Keith tossing in weird items to see if Lance notices (he totally does and makes Keith put them back when he’s two aisles away from said item), both of them sneaking kisses when they’re on an aisle alone, Keith following inappropriately close to Lance’s back “so no-one else can see your fine ass”. They laughed and giggled the whole way through, and soon Lance had everything he’d planned to get.

 

“I don’t think I’ve ever had so much fun shopping,” Lance commented as they took turns scanning items in the self check-out. Keith hummed in agreement, grabbing the next full bag and putting it back in the cart. Keith was wondering what Lance planned for dinner, since there was quite a wide variety of food and he could pick out at least three possibilities with his inexperienced eye.

 

“So, what’s for dinner tonight?” Keith dared to ask as he loaded the last bags back into the cart.

 

Lance grinned and stuck his card in the chip reader slot, “you’ll see.” Keith pursed his lips, but didn’t try to get an answer, he knew it wouldn’t work anyway. Lance grabbed his receipt, shoved it in one of the bags, and they walked out into a cooler afternoon. Lance breathed deep and sighed, “I love fall.”

 

“There’s not much of a fall around here, though.” Keith was pushing the cart, and stepped up onto the bar to coast for a few feet.

 

“True.” Lance turned to walk backward, hands tucked behind his head. “But it’s a bigger change than in Central Florida. You can wear shorts and t-shirts nearly all year. I’ve gone swimming on Christmas Day.”

 

“Dude, that’s just weird.”

  
“Tell me about it.”

 

Lance popped the trunk when they got to his car, and Keith helped him load up before taking the cart to one of the corals close by. They hopped in, and Lance drove them back to his apartment. On the way, Lance couldn’t fight the thought that this felt _right_. He had a sudden desire to never go shopping without Keith again, but shook it off. When they arrived back at the apartment, Lance eyed the bags in the trunk with distaste. “I bought too much.”

 

Keith eyed the bags. “Do you have a carabiner laying around?”

 

“Uh, actually I do. There’s a couple in here somewhere. Why?” Lance began to dig in the pop-up tote he kept in the trunk to hold his emergency items.

 

“You can carry more bags if they’re hung on a carabiner.” Keith began organizing bags so fragile items wouldn’t get crushed. Lance let out a triumphant ‘ah-hah!’ and straightened up with three carabiners dangling from his fingers. Keith took them and started hooking bags together. He handed this first load to Lance and moved on to the second carabiner. Lance waited patiently and accepted the second carabiner as well. “You go ahead, I’ll follow with the rest.”

 

Lance grinned. “What would I do without you?” he asked in a dreamy voice as he made his way to the apartment building.

 

Keith snorted. “You’d be making about ten trips for these bags,” he teased, hefting an armful of bags in one hand and the last carabiner loaded down with the other. He managed to close the trunk, and made his way after Lance to his apartment, following him inside and setting his armfuls on the bar as Lance placed his on the counter. “How are you gonna fit all this in here?” Keith asked, eyeing the amount of food brought in versus the amount of space Lance had in his fridge and cabinets. Sadly, this apartment lacked a proper pantry.

 

Lance wiggled his fingers and started unloading bags, placing the items in categories scattered across the countertop and stove. “Magic.” Keith hung back to watch as Lance first organized everything on the counters, then began systematically putting it all away. Frozen first, then fridge, canned, jarred, and boxed. Lastly were the few spices he replenished. When he finished, Lance turned to Keith and flung his hands out to his sides, “ta-da!”

 

“Color me impressed.”

 

Lance checked the time. They had at least two hours before he needed to think about starting dinner. “Oh! Do you wanna finish the movie?” At Keith’s nod, Lance shooed him into the living room and followed, kicking off his shoes by the door on his way. Keith followed his example, flopping on the couch after removing his shoes. He slouched diagonally, half resting against the arm rest, legs stretched out. Lance joined him, a little more carefully, arranging himself half on top of Keith, snuggled into his side. He snagged the remote and got the movie going again, then went boneless, melting against Keith and into the couch with a quiet groan. “Why am I so tired?” he whined.

 

Keith wrapped his arms around Lance and chuckled. “I don’t know,” he mused, “but I doubt it would be from having two orgasms in an hour.” He wouldn’t admit it, but he was feeling pretty drained himself.

  
“No, that can’t be it.” Lance yawned and stretched, snuggling closer as Keith’s arms closed around him. “Must be the grocery shopping. Yeah.”

 

Keith chuckled. “Whatever you say.”

 

Lance dozed through the rest of the movie, but Keith fell asleep. His head lolled back and his chest rumbled with a quiet snore from his awkward position. When the movie finished, Lance gently extracted himself from Keith’s embrace, smiling down on the peaceful look on Keith’s face, and went into the kitchen to start on dinner.

 

 

Keith woke up to someone shaking his shoulder. He grunted and cracked open one eye. When he saw Lance grinning over him, his eyes popped open and he sat up with a groan. “I fell asleep?”

 

“You even snored,” Lance chuckled. “Dinner will be ready in about ten minutes.” He pressed a kiss to Keith’s nose and walked back to the kitchen.

 

Keith rubbed his face with another groan, then stood up and stretched. He spied Lance eyeing him from the kitchen, and stretched again just for show. He ran his fingers through his hair and headed for the bathroom to rinse his face and really wake up.

 

Lance watched Keith wander off, a goofy, dreamy smile on his face. He shook his head when he caught himself and focused on finishing dinner. Fortunately, there wasn’t much left to do but wait, but he still didn’t want to burn it. He fiddled with the controls to his little panini press, adjusting the temperature. He didn’t notice Keith’s return, and jumped when a pair of arms slid around his waist. “Hey.”

 

“Smells good, what is it?”

 

“Cubano. Well, I guess more the American Cuban Sandwich, but this is how mamá always made them.” Lance lifted the lid of the panini press just a bit to check the sandwiches, setting it back down when he determined they weren’t quite done yet.

 

“Yum.” Keith tucked his head against the back of Lance’s shoulder and heaved a sigh.

 

“Still sleepy?” Lance covered Keith’s hands with his own and gave them a squeeze as he started to gently rock side to side.

 

“Mmm,” Keith nodded, moving with Lance and settling closer to him.

 

Lance turned his head to catch a glimpse of Keith, but could only see unruly black hair, so he focused back on his task of keeping an eye on the sandwiches. After another few minutes, he deemed them done. “Okay,” he started, patting Keith’s hands, “can you grab us some drinks? I’ll plate these bad boys.”

 

Keith squeezed Lance around the middle, nuzzling into his shoulder, then let go to look in the fridge. Lance lifted the press lid and slid the sandwiches onto two plates. He turned and placed them on the bar, then opened a cabinet to retrieve a bag of plain chips. When he turned back, Keith was sitting in ‘his’ spot, two cokes on the bar by their plates, and Lance dropped the bag of chips. Keith had pulled his mullet back into a tiny, messy pony tail, exposing his neck and ears while the shorter hairs still fell over his forehead and temples. Keith looked up when he heard the bag drop, and raised a brow at Lance’s gobsmacked face. “Are you okay?”

 

Lance shook himself and blushed. “What? Yeah…yeah.” He picked up the bag and joined Keith at the bar. “You put your hair up,” he commented, and mentally slapped himself for the ‘duh’ statement.

 

Keith raised his other brow. “Yes?” He took the bag from Lance and set it on the bar. “Does it look bad or something?”

 

“What? No!” Lance shook his head and waved his hands, “it’s…well, it’s really hot.” He rubbed the back of his neck and laughed at himself. “It’s like, when I saw you for the first time, coming into the bakery. You were like…just…ugh, so hot, so… _beautiful_ my whole brain just…stopped working.”

 

“You think I’m beautiful?” Keith turned toward Lance, a strange look on his face.

 

Lance had a moment of panic, did that offend Keith? Should he have said handsome instead? Probably. But he’d meant what he said so, “yeah. I think you’re beautiful, Keith.” He forced himself to not look away or hunch his shoulders.

 

Keith’s face lit up in the most, well, beautiful smile Lance had seen on him yet. His cheeks turned pink and his eyes softened. “No one’s ever said that about me before,” he murmured. Lance smiled back. They shared a quiet moment, eyes locked, and as Keith leaned in Lance did the same. Just before they kissed, Lance’s stomach let out a loud rumble. Lance froze, but Keith chuckled and closed the distance for a short, sweet kiss. “I think your stomach just told us to quit fooling around and eat.”

 

Lance huffed a laugh. “Yeah, it did. Dig in.” Keith snuck in one more kiss before turning to his plate. Lance waited, watching, as Keith picked up the sandwich and took a bite. He bit his lip, anxious to know Keith’s opinion.

 

Keith glanced over at Lance, wondering why he wasn’t eating yet. When he saw the look on Lance’s face, he smiled. “It’s really good,” he commented and took another bite. Lance’s face beamed, and he opened the bag of chips, grabbing some for himself then turning the bag to Keith. He started on his own sandwich, and hummed in delight. Keith chuckled. “I’m glad you agree.”

 

“You bet.” Lance bumped shoulders with Keith. They soon finished eating, and Keith hopped up, taking Lance’s plate.

 

“Since you cooked, I’ll clean up,” Keith offered, already at the sink and running the water.

 

Lance smiled and rested his cheek in his palm, elbow propped on the bar. “Thank you.” Keith hummed and went to work on the dishes. Lance was just glad he didn’t make too much of a mess cooking. He watched as Keith cleaned up, goofy grin on his face, that he couldn’t seem to wipe off. 

 

When Keith finished, he rested his elbows on the counter in front of Lance and leaned in close. “You look smitten,” he murmured.

 

Lance tilted forward as well, his grin only widening. “Maybe because I am.”

 

“Oh?” Keith stood up to walk around the counter, sliding his arms around Lance’s waist when he came up to his stool.

 

“Mmm,” Lance turned to Keith and slid his arms over his shoulders, fingers toying with his ponytail. “Yeah, my boyfriend, y’know.”

 

“Yeah?” Keith grinned.

 

“Uh, huh. He’s great!” Lance winked and leaned in close to brush his nose against Keith’s, “he’s gorgeous, sweet, super talented,” he leaned closer, lips brushing, “kind, sexy, did I mention gorgeous?”

 

“Yeah,” Keith breathed, and pressed closer. He tilted his head, waiting. Lance licked his bottom lip and tugged Keith’s head forward in an open-mouthed kiss. He licked into Keith’s mouth, caging Keith’s hips with his knees. Keith let out a quiet moan as he pulled Lance flush against him, kissing back with restrained fervor. They kissed for longer than either realized, merely enjoying each other without the expectation for things to escalate further. Keith eventually ended their kiss, gently pressing his lips to Lance’s cheeks, forehead, eyes, and finally the tip of his nose. “My boyfriend’s pretty great, too.”

 

Lance blinked owlishly at Keith, having forgotten what they were talking about, “hmm?” He leaned forward to tuck his face in the crook of Keith’s neck, nuzzling his nose into the soft skin there.

 

“He is,” Keith insisted, “he’s funny, irresistible, also gorgeous, sorry I couldn’t think of another word that fits.” Lance chuckled, and Keith hid a smile in his hair as he slowly rubbed Lance’s back. “He has an inner strength that leaves me speechless, and…and…dammit I worked myself into a corner.” He dropped his head on Lance’s shoulder with an embarrassed groan.

 

Lance picked his head up to try and catch Keith’s eye. “You’re gonna leave me hanging? Just like that?”

 

Keith groaned again and held Lance closer. “No, ugh…yes? I don’t know!” He shook his head against Lance’s shoulder, but still wouldn’t look up. “I just…fuck, today was…perfect. Well, except for Nyma, but even that, how you stood up for me, for us. So yeah, it’s been a perfect day. And I can see it, see us…like this, every day, all the time…except for work of course. And…I just…” Keith heaved a sigh and straightened up to meet Lance’s gaze, full of anticipation. With another deep breath, Keith opened his mouth, “fuck this is the scariest thing I think I’ve ever done. Lance, I love you.” He held his breath, afraid his pounding heart would drown out Lance’s response.

 

Lance took a moment to stare, shocked, at Keith, before allowing a small smile to curl his lips. “You know,” he started, “for someone who claims to be bad at communicating, you’re really, really good at it.” His smiled turned into a grin as Keith’s face started to look panicked, and leaned forward to press a reassuring kiss to his lips. He didn’t even bother pulling away when he murmured, “of course I love you, too.” He grinned as Keith tightened his grip and kissed him again, and again, and again. When the separated, both wore matching smiles, and even Keith was blushing. Lance pressed their foreheads together and giggled. “You know, I told Hunk the day we met, that you were the one.”

 

Keith huffed a laugh, “are you serious? We barely talked!” His hands found their way back onto Lance’s hips, thumbs rubbing circles under his shirt, just above his waistband.

 

“So? Let me have my fantasy, it was love at first sight!” Lance pouted, but couldn’t keep the face for long before breaking into another smile that Keith continued to mirror. “Besides, I had this big idea all planned out. I was gonna tell you on your birthday, or whenever you were off for me to take you out to dinner somewhere nice, where they put candles on the tables.”

 

“What? Lance,” Keith started, “I told you I’m not big on birthdays.”

 

“I know, but that was just the excuse to go all fancy and romantic so I could declare my love over wine and candles and mff-“

 

Keith cut him off with a kiss, and smiled at him gently when he backed off to say, “I could care less about fancy, or wine, or candles. I actually don’t like wine by the way. This, right here,” he squeezed Lance’s hips and brushed noses, “hanging out with you, wherever. Eating your cooking, cleaning up for you, god, the look on your face when I was doing the dishes. That was romantic, and perfect.”

 

“Keith,” Lance whined, cheeks heating as he flushed all the way up his neck to the tips of his ears. He bit his lip as the thought came to him again. Before he could squash it, it bypassed his filters and tumbled right out of his mouth, “move in with me.”

 

Keith jolted, freezing in place as the words registered. “What?”

 

Lance closed his eyes and heaved a sigh, “I didn’t mean to say that, yet.” When Keith blew a sharp breath from his nose Lance dared to look, and grinned sheepishly at the amused look on his face. “But I do mean it. You said your lease is up in four months, right?” 

 

Keith nodded.

 

“And you wanna get out of your apartment.”

 

Another nod.

 

“So…why not? God, it feels too fast but…it’s still four months away. That’s next year,” Lance counted in his head, “February. Happy Valentines Day, let’s live together.”

 

Keith chuckled and shook his head. “A lot can happen in four months.”

 

“I know.” Lance pursed his lips. “You don’t have to answer now. And even if you say yes you can still change your mind if for whatever reason you don’t want to. But this, today, I want it. All the time. You said you can see it, too. So just…think about it? The offer is there, on the table.”

 

“And what if you take it off the table?”

 

Lance frowned, “I’ll let you know if, _if_ that happens. Otherwise, it’s there. Waiting.”

 

Keith took a deep breath, holding it in for a bit, then slowly releasing it as he let his shoulders slump, relaxed. “Okay.”

 

Lance smiled, his whole face lighting up. “Okay.” They stayed like that, gently embracing at the kitchen bar, for another couple of minutes before Lance shifted and gently pushed Keith back so he could stand. “My butt’s going numb.”

 

Keith laughed and moved out of the way, looking over his shoulder to check the time on the stove. “Damn, it’s already after eight. Do you go in early tomorrow?”

 

“Aw, yeah I do,” Lance leaned against Keith as he glared at the time on the stove, as if his ire could change the time to something more suitable to him. “I gotta get up at five.”

 

“Then I should go soon,” Keith murmured, wrapping his arms around Lance’s waist and holding him a little closer.

 

“Hmm…” Lance rested his arms on Keith’s shoulders, hands dangling out behind his back. He looked down at Keith with a small smile, which was returned. “I wish you could stay, but that’s probably a bad idea.”

 

Keith closed his eyes and swallowed. “Yeah,” he breathed, “I’m not-I don’t…I want to respect your boundaries.” Lance pulled Keith into a hug, pressing his cheek to the side of Keith’s head. Keith tucked his face into the crook of Lance’s neck and held him close. Lance tucked a kiss into Keith’s hair, who chuckled at the sensation before gently pulling away. “Okay, I better go before I change my mind.”

 

Lance followed him to the door, waiting as he put on his shoes and checked his pockets. Keith opened the door and stepped out, but Lance tugged him back in for one more kiss, whispering, “I love you,” against his lips before letting him go.

 

Keith smiled, “I love you.” He backed out into the hall, waved, and turned to head down the stairs. Lance watched him leave, closing and locking the door only when Keith disappeared from his sight. He turned to lean back against the door, staring dreamily at the kitchen stool he was sitting on earlier. 

 

He jumped when his phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out and unlocked the screen to find a message from Keith. He received a few more as he was staring at the screen, and his face broke out into a huge grin.

 

**Keef**

Sleep well, I’ll see you on our pastry run tomorrow

 

I love you

 

God I can’t believe I get to say that now

 

I’m gonna say it again

 

I love you

 

Okay I’m gonna drive home now, good night

 

One more

 

I love you

 

 

Lance giggled and pressed a hand to his chest. His heart felt like it was going to burst out and start dancing on the floor. He waited just a minute before sending his own replies.

 

**Lancey Lance**

I love you

 

I love you!

 

Sweet dreams, my love

 

See you tomorrow

 

 

He tucked away his phone and walked to the bathroom to start his nightly routine, unable to wipe the grin off his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again for the kudos, comments, subscriptions, bookmarks, or just reading!
> 
> Check out my Tumblr [@krysblack](http://krysblack.tumblr.com)


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let's pass some time. Skimming through the rest of October and November, leading up to Christmas time.

When Lance walked into the Bakery the next morning, Hunk groaned. He knew what the look on Lance’s face meant, and mentally prepared himself to give Lance useless, busy tasks. Shay turned away to smile while Coran momentarily stuck his head around the corner of his open office door.

“What was it this time?” Hunk asked with a tired air.

Lance draped his arm over Hunk’s shoulder and pressed his other hand to his chest, “whatever can you mean?”

Hunk rolled his eyes. “Uh-huh,” he nudged Lance’s side with his elbow, “so what amazing thing happened on your day together?”

“He loves me,” Lance swooned into Hunk dramatically. Shay squealed and pulled Lance away from Hunk to hug him enthusiastically, Hunk chuckled, and Coran called out a congratulations from his desk.

“You guys are sickeningly adorable,” Hunk commented as he turned back to his morning prep. Lance grinned and let go of Shay to start on his morning tasks.

He was surprisingly on-task that day, and managed not to make a complete fool of himself when Keith came by for Voltron Tattoo’s daily pastries.

Keith hesitated before he left. “We’re gonna be pretty dead tonight, if you wanna swing by?” he asked shyly.

“Hmm…” Lance pretended to think, tapping his chin. When Keith’s hopeful face started to crack, turning into a smirk, Lance grinned back. “I’ll be there.”

“Great!” Keith lifted a hand to wave, and Lance returned the gesture with a strange hand signal, giving Keith pause, “what does that mean?”

Lance blinked, then started, “oh, right. It’s sign language.” He did the sign again, and Keith thought it looked like a combination of ‘rock-on’ and ‘hang loose’. Lance’s middle and ring fingers were curled down, while his pinkie, pointer, and thumb were extended. Keith copied the shape, and Lance smiled. “It means ‘I love you,’” he murmured with a blush.

“Oh.” Keith looked down at his hand. He smiled when he looked back up at Lance and made the sign toward him. “See you later.”

“Later,” Lance replied, holding his ‘I love you’ hand out again as well. Keith left, the bell tinkling as the door disturbed it. Lance watched him go, and took a deep breath when he disappeared past the window.

“Oh my god, you really are sickeningly adorable.”

Lance spun around, catching Hunk half-way through the swinging door. “I never denied it,” he sniffed before returning to his task of wiping down the display cases. There had been a surprising number of moms with toddlers that had come in that morning and the lower half of all of them were smeared with finger, tongue, and other prints Lance wasn’t comfortable trying to identify. With a sigh, he kneeled down to work the cleanser over the glass and wipe away all the smudgy marks, “why are kids so gross?”

“Ugh,” Hunk shuddered, “I dunno, man.” He set to placing the bear claws he brought out in their place, refilling what had been bought out that morning.

“It’s to counteract how adorable they are,” Shay commented, coming out with a rolling rack filled with trays of various pastries. “Or else women like me would be dying to have our own.”

Hunk nearly dropped the tray he was holding, “what!?” He looked over at Shay, eyes wide, face horrified.

Shay laughed, “not ready for kids yet, babe?” She turned away to start refilling the display case at the other end.

“Yet?” Hunk paled. He had to place the tray of remaining bear claws on top of the case so he could scrub his hands through his hair, “I-uh…”

Lance stopped cleaning to watch. He’d never seen Hunk so flustered. Shay caught his eye and winked, then turned toward Hunk with a sly smile, “yes, yet.”

“Shay…” Hunk whined, “I know you’re teasing me!” He mock glared at her, causing her to laugh again.

“I don’t get to often, I have to take the opportunities I can,” Shay walked over to Hunk and gently kissed his lips. “Don’t worry, I’m not ready for kids yet, either,” she murmured and kissed him again before going back to her task. “Don’t forget to change your gloves.”

Hunk sighed in relief, ripping the gloves off his hands as he shook his head, muttering about the evilness of women. He got a new pair and went back to restocking the bear claws before claiming a different tray from the rack Shay brought out.

Lance went back to his task, eagerly anticipating 3:00.

****

When Lance walked into Voltron Tattoo that afternoon, he was immediately pinned by Pidge’s calculating glare. He paled, suddenly afraid for his life. He felt sweat forming over his upper lip and the back of his neck.

“Uh…h-hey Pidge, what-what’s up?”

“Lance,” Pidge said in a low monotone. They leaned their elbows on their desk, tilting forward menacingly. Lance swallowed and cast around for Shiro or Keith, but neither were in the front area when he most needed them. Resignedly, he looked back at Pidge with a stiffened spine, ready to take whatever verbal abuse they would throw at him. Pidge waited patiently for Lance to give them his attention again before continuing, “if you break Keith’s heart, I break you.”

Lance blinked, gaping, for a solid minute. Pidge scowled and opened their mouth to say something else when Lance chuckled, causing their eyes to widen before narrowing in anger. Lance waved his hands to fend them off, “I’m not laughing at you, I’m relieved,” he held up a finger when Pidge looked like they were going to reply to that, “because I have no intentions of doing that, ever.” He rubbed his face with one hand, sliding it up to fluff through his hair and scratch the back of his neck. “Honestly, I kinda expected this from you sooner.”

Pidge, now calm again, shrugged. “I had planned to, but a lot has been happening and while I’m, what did you call me the other day? Salty?” they grinned when Lance shrugged, sheepish, “I like it. Even though I’m ‘salty’, I’m not heartless. But I still mean it.” They flipped the page of their magazine and returned their attention to it. “Keith and Shiro are eating in the kitchen,” they said, and then dismissed Lance from their attention.

“Thanks,” Lance said, and received a vague grunt in reply. He walked toward the back and into the short hall past the private booths. He was about to announce his presence when he overheard Keith and Shiro’s conversation.

“It all just seems…things are going really fast, Keith,” Shiro said cautiously, “I don’t want you getting hurt again.”

Lance gaped as he rested his shoulder against the wall. He felt bad listening, but he also didn’t want to interrupt what sounded like a pretty serious conversation.  
“I know,” Keith replied, “I do.” Shiro must have given him a look. “But that doesn’t change how I feel. It doesn’t change where Lance and I are, together.” There was a quiet pause, then Keith added quietly, “he asked me to move in with him, when my lease runs out.”

Shiro sighed, “Keith…”

“I didn’t agree, yet. I know, I’m trying to not jump too quickly into this. But Shiro…” Keith made a frustrated sound, “I…we. We’ve been…communicating. More than I’ve done with anyone else, even you.” Shiro made a surprised noise, and Keith chuckled, “yeah. We’ve…talked about so much, and learned about each other, and…oh my god I can’t believe I’m telling you this. We haven’t had sex yet, because he’s never been…intimate with a guy, and we’re taking it…kinda slow?”

“Define, kinda.”

Lance choked on his tongue, and covered his mouth to muffle the sound. There was a pause, and he thought he’d been found out when Keith started talking again.

“We’ve fooled around. Done other stuff, as much as he’s comfortable with. It’s…Shiro it’s so amazing. We don’t have any expectations of what’s going to happen, it just…flows. And the way he looks at me when he thinks I’m not looking. He holds my hand in public. We went grocery shopping together yesterday, and he made us Cuban Sandwiches for dinner.” There was a rustle of fabric and the squeak of a chair. “It’s…I want that, with him. Every day. It just felt so…right. Everything feels right…natural, with him.”

“Keith…”

“Ugh, I hate it when you say my name like that.”

“Like what?” It sounded like Shiro was smiling.

“Like I’ve pleasantly surprised you.”

“You have.”

Keith scoffed.

“It’s true. Keith, I’ve never heard you talk about anyone like you just did about Lance. I…was concerned,” another scoff, “I know, like always, but…I’m not any more.”

“Thanks,” Keith said quietly.

“So…if you decide to go for it…move in with him,” another long pause, “I’ll support you either way, and I won’t try to talk you out of it again.”

“Damn, Shiro,” Keith choked, “why you gotta make me so emotional?”

Shiro chuckled, “I have no control over your emotions, you know that.”

“Thanks, Dr. Iverson.”

Lance sniffled and wiped at his face. He was about to sneak off to the bathroom when Keith came out of the kitchen and nearly ran over him. “Lance! Hey, I didn’t know you were here…wait, are you okay?” Keith ran a concerned gaze over his reddened, misty eyes and the hand covering his mouth.

Lance choked on a laugh and nodded, “I’m-” he cleared his throat, “I’m fine, I’m great.”

Keith raised a brow, then the other as he realized, “how much of that did you hear?”

“I’m sorry! I just…it sounded like an important conversation and I didn’t want to interrupt and-“

Keith put a finger over Lance’s lips and smiled, “it’s okay, really.” He moved his hand to brush the backs of his fingers over Lance’s cheek. “but how much did you hear? So I know how embarrassed I need to be.”

Lance blushed, and froze when Shiro came out of the kitchen as well.

“Hey, Lance,” Shiro said as he brushed by, only sparing them enough glance to smirk and wink at the two of them, then sauntered into the front area to strike up a conversation with Pidge.

“Oh, god…” Lance covered his face with his hands while Keith chuckled. He soon regained enough composure to answer Keith, “so I showed up when Shiro said he didn’t want you getting hurt…again.”

Keith pressed his lips together and took a deep breath. “Okay. Well, I know you wanna know but won’t ask, but he was talking about Rolo.”

“Oh.”

“Yea.”

Lance lowered his hands and reached for Keith’s, who obliged and laced their fingers together. He shuffled closer, crowding Lance against the wall, and pressed his forehead into the crook of Lance’s neck. Lance smiled, settled against the wall, and tugged Keith closer, “I’m gonna take a stab and say Dr. Iverson was your therapist?”

“Is,” Keith replied, “kinda. I haven’t gone to see him in almost a year, but he keeps me on the list of active patients so I can get in if I ever need to short notice.”

“Nice.” Lance let go of Keith’s hands to wrap them around his shoulders, one hand burying in his hair while the other soothingly rubbed his back. Keith slid his arms around Lance’s waist and nuzzled into the crook of his neck with a sigh.

They stayed like that for a little while, until Pidge came into the hall on their way to the kitchen.

“Seriously?” they grumbled and carefully avoided touching them as they passed by and went into the kitchen.

Lance giggled while Keith just snuggled even closer. He jolted, and lifted his head to stare intently at Lance. “We should start making out in front of Pidge every time we see them,” he said, rather loudly.

“I will murder you in your sleep,” Pidge replied from the kitchen, earning a laugh from Keith and an embarrassed groan from Lance.

“Keith, honey, baby,” Lance whined, “I’m barely in their good graces as it is. They already threatened me once today.”

“For what?”

Lance paused, “I think their exact words were, ‘break his heart, and I break you.’”

Keith grinned, “aww…Pidge!”

“What!?” they growled, still in the kitchen.

“I didn’t know you cared!”

They scoffed, “whatever, I just don’t want to deal with you moping around the shop, it’s bad for business.”

Keith rolled his eyes, “I love you too, Pidge.”

“Damn gay.”

Lance’s eyes widened at the insult, spluttering in indignation. Keith burst out laughing and shook his head. Lance stared at Keith in shock, “I must be missing something.”

“Yeah, inside joke,” Keith explained, “Pidge’s go-to phrase is usually ‘damn straight.’ One day I jokingly took offense to it and now they use ‘damn gay’ with me.”

Lance rolled his eyes, “oh my god…you guys are crazy.”

“Careful, or they’ll start saying ‘damn bi’ to you.”

Pidge’s voice cut in again, “damn bi!”

“No! Pidge!” Lance laughed, and Keith joined in.

“Too late. Now go away, I wanna eat in peace.”

“Okay okay, we’re moving,” Keith soothed. He stood up straight and grabbed Lance’s wrist to pull him back out into the front room, both still chuckling. Lance saw Shiro at the desk, who was trying very hard not to laugh as well. Keith led the way to ‘their’ couch, flopping down with enough force to unbalance Lance enough that he fell on top of him with an ‘oof!’

Lance shuffled around until he was laying across the couch with his head in Keith’s lap, breath still heaving from laughing so hard. “I can’t stay long, I’m opening again tomorrow.”

“Too bad.” Keith’s hand immediately buried itself in Lance’s hair, his other arm stretched along the back of the couch. They quickly fell into the comfortable rhythm they had established after Lance’s first few visits, chatting and chilling and cleaning, until Lance checked the time and bemoaned his need to leave. Keith walked him out and kissed him sweet with a whispered, “I love you,” that had Lance melting into him all over again.

“Mmm, I love you,” he replied and leaned in for one more kiss before Keith gently shoved him toward his car.

“C’mon, time to go home.”

“Aww, Keef!” Lance whined, but got in and closed the door. He flashed the ‘I love you’ sign out the window as he backed away, and grinned when Keith did the same.

He drove home with a smile on his face.

****

The next few weeks were, thankfully, rather uneventful. Lance respected Keith’s desire to not celebrate his birthday, despite much grumbling. He couldn’t not get a gift, though. He recalled Keith complaining about one of the parts on his tattoo gun needing replacement, and hit up Shiro for more info to buy it for him. It was more expensive than he’d anticipated, but so worth every penny when Keith opened the gift and nearly decked him for it, much to Shiro and Pidge’s amusement.

Lance got his thank you kiss after Keith calmed down.

****

Thanksgiving was quickly approaching, and Lance was busier than ever at the bakery. Once October and Halloween faded into November, Altea Bakery started cranking out pies just for the holidays. Pumpkin and pecan were the most abundant, but they also made apple, cherry, and chocolate. Cheesecakes were always a highly requested item, but Hunk refused to add them to the menu, claiming that everyone else was making cheesecakes too and they had enough to do for the season. Lance was grateful.

Being so busy meant less time spent with Keith, which was something Lance did at every opportunity he could. He now spent nearly every afternoon and day off at Voltron Tattoo if Keith was working. If not, they were at Lance’s apartment hanging out, cooking, watching movies, fooling around, or any combination thereof. Their intimacy didn’t get any more…intimate, at least not yet. Lance had plans, but wasn’t ready to tell them to Keith just yet.

The Monday of Thanksgiving week, Lance learned that Altea and Voltron always celebrated together at Allura and Shiro’s house, since it had the most room.

“You’re coming too, right?” Hunk asked after Lance casually brought up the subject that afternoon.

“I’m invited?” Lance didn’t want to assume anything, but Hunk scoffed at him anyway.

“What? Don’t you work here? That’s an automatic invitation. Besides, you’re Keith’s boyfriend, too. So it’s like you’re double invited.”

Coran nodded, “everyone from Altea and Voltron are welcome to join us. And you really should. Allura makes the best turkey!”

Lance ducked his head, “do I need to bring anything?” He definitely didn’t want to show up empty handed.

Shay shook her head, but Coran held up a finger in thought. “I would normally say no, since it’s your first Thanksgiving with us, but Allura asked me to make the green bean casserole this year, and I’ve completely forgotten about it. Would you mind making it for me?”

“Yes, I can definitely do that. Thanks, Coran!” Lance grinned.

Shay nudged Lance with her elbow, “Shiro’s favorite is the recipe on the french fried onion can.”

Lance laughed at that, “thanks, Shay. It sounds difficult,” he joked.

“It is. Very hard to get right. Do be careful,” Shay grinned.

****

Lance pulled up to Shiro and Allura’s house on Thanksgiving day. It was modest, not too big, but wow was it nice! Definitely ultra modern, with clean lines and little to no frills or embellishments. It looked like everyone else was already here, so he parked on the street behind Keith’s car, grabbed the still-warm casserole from his passenger seat, and got out to walk to their front door. He fumbled his keys a bit, trying to lock his car while holding the dish, then did the same when he got to the door and rang the bell.

“Come in!” someone called from inside, so Lance let himself in.

“Woah…” Lance looked around the small entry slash living room. It was so clean! Crisp white walls sparsely but tastefully decorated with black and white photos; some of Shiro’s tattoo work, others of Allura’s fashion shoots. The furniture was in greyscale to match the photos. If Lance had been told about it he would have decided not to like it, but it really did work.

“Lance! I’m so glad you came!” Allura came in from what Lance guessed was the kitchen around the corner, dressed comfortably but still so fashionable in a cream colored lace dress that ended just above her knees. Lance felt like a street urchin in comparison with his seldom worn charcoal slacks and festively green dress shirt. Allura kissed his cheek and took the casserole from his hands. “Don’t you look dashing.”

“Uh…thank you. Your home is…beautiful,” Lance stammered. He cleared his throat and shook off his nerves, “and you look absolutely amazing.” Allura just smiled and led him through the kitchen, where Shiro was pulling the turkey out of the oven, into the adjoined dining area to find the rest of their little family seated around a table almost too small for their group.

“Lance!” Hunk cried, and waved, his other arm tucked behind Shay, across the back of her chair. She waved as well, and Lance waved back. Pidge spared him a glance, and the slightest twitch of their lips, before diving back into serious conversation with Coran over the merits of cranberry sauce versus relish, and if there was even a difference.

Keith stood up with a smile, and Lance grinned back. He held up a quick ‘one minute’ finger, then turned back to Allura. “Can I help with anything? I know I’m kinda late…”

Allura shook her head and shooed Lance toward the table, “nonsense, you’re right on time. Now go sit with Keith, it’s almost ready.” She followed Lance to the table, which was already filled with everything but the turkey, and tucked Lance’s casserole between the mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce.

Keith pulled out Lance’s chair for him, and Lance pretended to swoon. “Oh, Keef. My perfect gentleman!” Keith merely rolled his eyes, but did accept a kiss before they sat down. Lance looked around the table at his friends, his family, and leaned against Keith’s shoulder. “I didn’t think I’d be doing anything for Thanksgiving this year,” he confessed.

“I’m glad that was wrong,” Keith replied, sliding his arm around Lance’s waist and shuffling closer. They sat quietly, listening to Pidge and Coran’s discussion while trading amused glances with Hunk and Shay until Allura preceded Shiro out of the kitchen.

“Alright everyone!” she called out, “let’s eat!” Shiro brought the turkey to the table and placed it down with a flourish. It was already carved, slices of breast neatly laid out along one side of the platter while the other showed off slices of thigh meat. The legs and wings filled up the center, and the wish bone lay on top.

Shiro picked up the wish bone and held it out to Lance. “The honor of the wish bone goes to you, since it’s your first Thanksgiving with us,” he explained, “pick your partner and make a wish.”

Lance gently took the wishbone and immediately turned to Keith. Hunk muttered ‘what a surprise!’, causing everyone else to chuckle. When Keith took the other end of the bone, they all grew quiet. Lance and Keith locked eyes, each making a wish. Keith nodded, then Lance nodded in return and they pulled. The wishbone snapped, and Lance ended up with the larger piece. Everyone cheered, Coran on his other side clapped him on the back, and Shiro took the pieces back to the kitchen to throw away. Keith’s eyes twinkled when he asked, “what did you wish for?”

Lance smiled, “more of this.”

****

November snuck out about five minutes after Thanksgiving was over, and suddenly December was here and all the stores that hadn’t yet vomited lights and fake snow into their displays hurried to catch up. Pidge took charge of frosting the windows of Voltron Tattoo and Altea Bakery while Lance volunteered to string the lights inside and out, relieving Hunk of his duties.

Hunk was totally disappointed. Really, he was.

Allura showed up one night in the first week of December and decked out the insides of both places. Lance squealed in surprise, much to Coran’s amusement, while everyone else took it in stride.

“Allura does this every year,” Shay told Lance after he’d calmed down.

“Can I fall in love again, because Allura just became my second favorite person,” Lance said with a dramatic swoon against Shay’s shoulder, causing everyone around him to laugh.

Hunk shook his head, but asked the question anyway, “who’s your favorite person?”

Lance turned to Hunk with a mock horrified expression, “you don’t know?” he cried, hands flying up over his head.

“Duh, it’s me,” Shay said seriously. Lance glared at her and very carefully took one large step away.

“You were a close second, but now I’m not sure you rank in the top five,” he sniffed.

Hunk smacked his forehead, “of course! Pidge.”

“You’re mocking me, aren’t you?”

“No no, Hunk. It’s Shiro,” Coran added.

Lance rolled his eyes, “you’re all on my naughty list this year.”

Hunk and Coran laughed, while Shay grinned, “kinky.” Lance spluttered and grumbled as he grabbed his rag and got to work.

****

Christmas seemed to be looming over Lance, and the more he thought about it, the less he could hide his not-so-festive mood. He slowly withdrew into himself, and with how busy the bakery was, none of his coworkers really noticed, even when Lance practically stopped talking altogether. He hovered in the background and did his work, then went home to mope on his own.

Which meant he was unintentionally avoiding Keith. He didn’t text as often as he normally did, and rarely answered Keith’s calls, and he completely stopped going over to Voltron to hang out with him.

By the time Hunk, Coran, and Shay realized things weren’t right, Lance had called out three days in a row, claiming to be sick.

When Keith showed up for their usual pastries on the 18th and found out Lance had called out again, he started to get pissed. “Are you even sure he’s sick, Hunk?”

“To be honest, I don’t think he is, but we don’t know what happened,” Hunk explained, rubbing the back of his head. “He’s been pretty distant lately, and looking back now I see it but we’ve been so busy none of us really noticed…”

“Shit,” Keith blew out a frustrated breath. “He hasn’t been texting me or answering my calls, either. I think the last time he came to the shop to hang was almost two weeks ago.”

“I’ve tried asking him, but he says he’s just under the weather and doesn’t wanna contaminate the bakery.”

“Something’s wrong. I thought maybe…” Keith pushed his fingers into his hair and tugged on the strands, “maybe he’d changed his mind about me, about us, but-“ he shook his head, “but if he’s avoiding you guys too it must be something else.”

“This sounds bad, Keith.”

“Yeah. I’m gonna go check on him. Fuck, I should have done that when this first started.”

“He didn’t say anything, how were you supposed to know?”

“I don’t know, but I’m gonna find out what’s going on.”

“Good luck.”

Keith left without saying goodbye. He didn’t have any appointments today so he didn’t feel bad leaving Shiro and Pidge to fend for themselves. He drove while he ate his pastry, and arrived at Lance’s apartment building in record time, even for him.

When he arrived at the door, Keith took a moment to breathe, calm himself, and straighten his clothes before knocking on the door.

No answer.

Worry coiled tight in Keith’s gut, but he squashed the sensation and knocked again. Thankfully, he heard shuffling on the other side of the door. The locks clicked open, and then Lance’s face appeared around the cracked door. His eyes were rimmed red and puffy, his face seemed pale, and his hair was a mess. When he saw Keith, he closed his eyes for a moment before stepping back to let him in.

“Hi, Keith,” Lance mumbled, leaving the door open as he shuffled back to the couch. He was dressed in wrinkly pajamas, and a knit blanket was wrapped around his shoulders. He sat in the middle, then tipped to the right, falling onto his side to curl into the fetal position. He’d apparently been in that position when Keith knocked, because there was a pillow for his head and another blanket thrown over the back of the couch as if tossed off to get up. Keith frowned, something odd about the scene. Oh, right. The TV was off, and there was no music playing. Whatever this was, it really wasn’t good.

“Lance,” Keith started, following him into the apartment and locking up once inside. He knelt beside Lance and gripped the edge of the couch cushion, “what’s going on?”

Lance tucked his face into the edge of his blanket, “just don’t feel good,” was his muffled reply.

“We’re all worried about you.”

“Mmh…”

“Hunk says you’ve been especially quiet these last few weeks. And you haven't stopped by Voltron in just as long.”

“Mmh…”

“I’ve barely heard from you. Are you- do you- are you done with me? With us?”

“What?” Lance head shot out of the blanket so he could glare at Keith, “no! Why would you think that?”

Keith was taken aback at Lance’s abrupt denial,“because you’ve been avoiding me like the plague, maybe?” he leaned back to give himself space and tried to breathe deeply in order to keep himself calm.

Lance deflated, face crumpling, “oh, right.” Fresh tears welled in his eyes, and he hid under the blanket again.

“What- Lance!” Keith tried to lift Lance’s face, but he refused to budge, “hey, c’mon. This is more than just a cold, what’s the matter?”

“No.”

Keith paused, “no?”

“No.”

“No, what?”

“No, nothing.”

“Lance-“

“No!”

Keith heaved a sigh, “I want to be there for you, but I can’t if you won’t let me in and tell me what’s going on.”

“Mm.”

Keith tried to peek under the blanket, but Lance pulled it tighter around him with another muffled ‘no.’ Keith stood up and walked away from the couch. “What the fuck, Lance.”

No answer.

“First you go distant at the Bakery, then you quit hanging out, you stop texting, calling, answering my calls. Now you’ve called out sick for three days, and you’re in here just- just…just moping?”

Still nothing.

“Remember how we talked about communication? How important it is?”

The blanked shifted.

“This is part of that, Lance. My job, as your boyfriend, as the man who loves you, is to help you deal with whatever it is you’re going through, but I can’t unless you tell me.”

“It’s stupid!”

Keith blinked. Okay, progress, right? “So, what? They’re your feelings, and they’re valid. However stupid you think it is, doesn’t negate the fact that it’s there, needing to be dealt with.”

“Hmpf.”

“I’m not leaving until you talk to me.”

Lance curled tighter around himself.

“C’mon, Lance, it’s almost Christmas.”

“I know!” Lance wailed.

Keith stilled, staring at the blanket lump on the couch, under which Lance was hiding. Was it something about Christmas? “Do you…not like Christmas?”

Sniff, “n-no.”

“So is that a no, meaning you agree, you don’t like Christmas, or no, you actually do like it?”

Sniff, “I-I lov-love it,” sniff.

“Then why are you moping about Christmas?”

“I’m not.”

“Okay?” Keith looked around, desperate to figure out what’s gotten into his boyfriend, and noticed something.

Lance hadn’t decorated his place for Christmas. Last month there were fake leaves everywhere, and a display of little gourds for fall and Thanksgiving. Before that he’d carved a pumpkin and draped fake spiderwebs in all the corners for Halloween. So why nothing for Christmas?

“Lance?”

“Mmh.”

“Why didn’t you decorate for Christmas?”

Lance groaned and shook his head under the blanket.

Bingo.

“Lance.”

Another groan.

“Why didn’t you decorate for Christmas.” A statement this time, not a question.

“No.”

“Tell me.”

“No.”

Keith blew a hard breath through his nose. “Damnit, Lance!”

“No point!”

“No…point?”

“No. No point.”

Keith rubbed his face, muttering, “my boyfriend is a five year old.”

“I heard that.”

“Hear it again, you’re acting like a little kid. Dude, what the fuck is going on?”

Lance shoved the blanket away from his face, revealing fresh tear streaks and an angry glare to yell, “this is my first Christmas not only away from home, but without my fucking family!”

Keith froze, so did Lance, whose lower lip quivered as his eyes scrunched, squeezing out more tears. Keith shook himself and dropped back down beside the couch to pull Lance into a tight hug. Lance latched on as if his life depended on it, fresh sobs wracking his body as he cried into Keith’s shoulder.

“Oh, Lance. Baby,” Keith murmured, gently rocking Lance back and forth as he rubbed his back soothingly. “This is most definitely not stupid. You miss them. I know they miss you too,” Lance sobbed a bit harder, and Keith gently shushed him, “but you can’t let these kinds of things fester inside. Talk to me, okay? Let me know what’s going on, how you’re feeling. So if nothing else, I can at least know why you’re so sad, or quiet, or distant, and so I know you’ll come back to me when you feel better.”

Keith let Lance cry onto his shoulder until he fell asleep. When he thought Lance had fallen deep asleep enough to move, he slowly and gently picked him up and took him to his bed. Keith tucked Lance in, pressed a kiss to his forehead, and moved back out to the living room to flop onto the couch. He shot a quick text to Shiro and Hunk, letting them know the gist of what was going on, and that he hoped Lance would feel better after some sleep. He quickly received two relieved replies, causing him to smile.

He slouched there, quietly contemplating what he could say or do to help Lance, when he heard a quiet knock at the door. With a frown, he checked his phone, surprised to see an hour had passed, and got up to see who was there. The only thing he could see through the peephole was Coran’s bright orange mustache, but that was enough to set his mind at ease and open the door. Coran opened his mouth, but Keith quickly shushed him, “Lance is still asleep,” he whispered, glad he’d thought to move him to his bed.

He stepped aside to let Coran in, and Hunk, and Shay, and…Shiro? Pidge? Allura? “What are you guys doing here?” he asked quietly as he closed the door behind them.

Allura pointed to the middle of the living room, and Keith noticed everyone was holding bags or boxes. Shiro was hauling a huge box with a picture of a Christmas tree on the side. She turned to Keith with a soft smile, “when you told Shiro that Lance hadn’t even decorated yet, we thought we’d come and do it for him. You can help Shiro assemble the tree over there,” she pointed to the corner beside the TV, which was gratefully bare as if waiting for a tree to fill its space. Keith nodded and joined Shiro in opening the box and pulling out the pieces. Thankfully, the branches were already attached to the center support of the tree, so there were only three pieces to set on the base before they busied themselves with fluffing the branches (we all know Allura taught Shiro and Keith how to do this years ago).

“Pidge, Uncle Coran, I need you to start unpacking and sorting these decorations. Hunk, Shay, you know what do to,” Allura ordered, smiling as Pidge and Coran pulled the bags toward the couch to sit down and do as asked.

Hunk grinned and tugged Shay into the kitchen, “you got it, boss!” Soon the smell of spicy cider was filling the apartment, and everyone took a deep breath. Shiro hummed, Keith knew cider was his favorite part of the holidays.

They all worked quietly. When the tree was sufficiently fluffed, Allura oversaw the stringing of lights, directing from a distance in order to make sure there weren’t any dark sections. When the tree was lit to her satisfaction, she shooed Keith and Shiro away to take over, preferring to place the ornaments herself. Keith wandered over to watch Hunk and Shay work in the kitchen, spying the cider simmering in a pot on a back burner. Shay was rolling out some dough while Hunk was measuring things and organizing them into small bowls. A bag of pecans sat waiting off to the side. Pecan pie? Of course, it’s Lance’s favorite. Shay rolled the dough onto the rolling pin and draped it over a shallow pan, forming it down into the corners then trimming off the excess, then artfully crimping the edges. She placed the crust in the fridge and Hunk set another small pot on the stove. He turned on the burner and dropped the butter in. Soon the sweet smell of sugary syrup mixed with the aroma of cider.

Keith looked out to the living room. Shiro had joined Coran and Pidge in decorating the rest of the room, stringing garland twisted with lights around the top edge of Lance’s TV cabinet. They had already hung mistletoe over his bedroom door and draped lights around the only window in the room next to the TV, and there was a Christmasy throw draped over the couch. The other blanket had been carefully folded and placed at the end over the pillow.

Just then, there was a shuffling from Lance’s bed room, and everyone but Hunk froze. He kept stirring the syrup, but looked toward the door where everyone else’s eyes had drifted. Lance emerged from the room, a huge yawn stretching his face as he scratched at his belly and shuffled over to the bathroom. He didn’t seem to notice everyone staring as he went in and closed the door behind him. Pidge snickered, and Shiro made a choked-off sound, which broke the tension. Coran and Allura both covered their mouths, Shay bit her lips together, and Hunk turned back to his task. Keith huffed a chuckle and shook his head while everyone else went back to decorating.

After a few minutes, a flush, and running water, Lance was coming back out of the bathroom, turned to head straight for his couch. He was two steps into the living room before he noticed all the people in his apartment. He stopped, eyes growing wide and flitting to each person before landing on Keith, mouth working silently. Keith slowly approached, hands held out cautiously, “surprise?”

“Keith? What-“ Lance wrapped his hands into the hem of his shirt as his gaze slid back to the others in the living room.

“I…mentioned to Hunk and Shiro that you hadn’t decorated yet…” Keith trailed off when Lance shot him a bewildered glare.

“You…what?”

“I didn’t say anything else!” Keith said quickly, knowing where Lance’s thoughts were going, “anyway, Shiro told Allura, and she decided to bring everyone over and do…all this.” Lance stared at Allura with a strange look on his face. Allura simply smiled back. Keith took a breath, “Hunk and Shay are in the kitchen, too. They made cider, and Hunk's working on something else-“ Keith was choked off when he suddenly found himself with his arms full of Lance.

The room was silent for nearly a minute, then Lance finally choked out a teary, “thank you,” and everyone heaved a sigh of relief. Allura told everyone to get back to work, and Keith led Lance over to the couch. Lance sat down, and Keith took a step away, but Lance latched onto his wrist in a bruising grip, “where are you going?”

“I figured you’d like something to drink. I’ll be right back, okay?” Keith patted Lance’s hand on his wrist, and went to the kitchen when Lance let go. He managed to get a glass of water and a mug of cider without disturbing Hunk too much, and brought the two drinks back to the couch. He sat down, handing over the water. Lance raise a brow, and Keith chuckled, “the cider is for you, too.” Lance nodded, downing the water quickly, as Keith knew he would. They swapped, Keith handing over the mug while placing the now empty glass on the end table next to him. He settled himself on the couch and wrapped an arm around Lance’s shoulders. Lance sighed and relaxed back into him, curling into Keith’s side as he cradled the mug against his chest, sipping the hot liquid as he watched Allura decorate the tree. Keith nuzzled his nose against the skin behind Lance’s ear to whisper, “are you feeling any better?”

Lance nodded and took another sip of his cider. They sat quietly, watching the busyness around them until Coran finished what he was doing and approached the couch. Lance tensed. Coran motioned at the free spot of couch next to Lance, who nodded and moved his feet to make room. Coran sat down, leaving enough space so Lance wouldn’t feel crowded. He opened his mouth, but Lance beat him to it, “I’m sorry.”

Coran’s mouth snapped shut, “hmm? Whatever for?”

“For…for ditching you guys, like that. I could make excuses, but it was unprofessional and wrong. So, I’m sorry. I understand if you want to fire me…”

“Lance,” Coran smiled gently and patted Lance’s knee, “I’m not going to fire you.” Lance heaved a relieved sigh, and Coran continued, “but you are right, it was unprofessional of you. I see this holiday is weighing heavily on you, and I understand your pain.” When Lance made a distressed noise, glancing at Keith, Coran chuckled, “no, no one told me anything, my boy, but it doesn’t take much to figure it out. This is your first Christmas separated from your family, and you are mourning.” Lance lower lip began to tremble, and Coran patted his knee again. Keith gently took the mug from his shaking fingers and pulled him closer. Lance turned to bury his face against Keith’s chest. He shot Coran a worried look, but Coran seemed to have expected that response. “If you experience something of this nature again, please come to me. I care for you Lance, we all do, but I can’t rely on you if you don’t come to work when you’re needed.” Lance nodded again, still hiding in Keith’s chest. Coran patted his arm and stood up, “I need to get back and finish my paperwork for the day. We’re back to work tomorrow. Lance, tomorrow was your day off, and I won’t require you to come in. I’ll see you Wednesday, alright?”

Lance turned teary eyes toward his boss, “th-thank you.” Coran smiled once more, said goodbye to everyone, and left. Shiro, Allura, and Pidge finished their decorating by then, and came to join Keith and Lance by the couch. Pidge fell onto the seat Coran vacated, while Shiro and Allura curled up on the floor in front of the TV. Lance heaved a deep sigh, and straightened up, scrubbing at his face with his sleeve. “Thanks, guys, for all of this. I…” he swallowed, “it…just hit me really hard right after Thanksgiving,” he felt the presence of Hunk and Shay behind him, “that my family is six hours away, getting ready to celebrate, and I’m here…and suddenly I felt so…alone. I know, I have all of you, but it-“ he shook his head, “it’s not the same, y’know?”

“Oh, Lance,” Allura sighed, “I understand.”

“Me too,” Keith added, “my first Christmas without my parents was…the hardest month of my life.” Shiro nodded, expression serious.

Allura cleared her throat, “it’s…difficult. Celebrating. When you’re consumed with grief. I…my father died four years ago, today actually.”

“Allura,” Lance breathed, leaning forward so far he nearly fell of the couch, “oh, no…I’m so sorry. And here I am moping about my family who are just- far away.”

Allura shook her head, “thank you, but your grief is just as valid, Lance. It’s still a loss. Besides, coming here, helping you, it’s what my father always did best, and in this way I honor him.” Shiro held Allura close and she smiled at him. Lance shook his head, but didn’t argue, and Keith pulled him back into his embrace.

Hunk ruffled his hair from behind, “don’t pull a stunt like that again, okay?”

Lance grinned, tilting his head back to look at Hunk and Shay behind them, “you got it, boss.”

Shay chuckled, bending forward to press a kiss on Lance’s forehead. “We have to get back to the Bakery, Hunk left tomorrow’s morning pastries out to cool.”

“Bye guys, thanks for coming and…all of this. The cider is really good.”

“There’s a pecan pie in the oven. Just pull it out when the timer goes off and let it cool, yeah?” Hunk ruffled his hair again, then he and Shay also left.

Lance glanced over at Pidge, who was sprawled at the other end of the couch, playing on their phone. They looked over at him, and rolled their eyes, “stop being stupid. Talk to people. Don’t isolate yourself. Again, stupid, stop it.”

Lance rolled his eyes back, but the grin stayed on his face, “thanks, Pidge.”

“Don’t mention it.” Lance knew, when Pidge said that, they meant it literally. They sat up when their phone buzzed, and groaned. “Damnit. Matt came by and saw the shop was closed. Now he wants me to spend time with him. Gross.” They punched Lance on the shoulder and stood up, “guess I better indulge him. He’s always whining that I never hang out with him.”

“Get out of here, Pidge,” Lance shoved at their hip with his foot, “I’ll do what you said.”

“Or I’ll kick your ass.” They waved and left.

“Would you like us to stay?” Shiro asked.

Lance tilted his head, considering for a moment, then shook his head, “no, that’s okay. I, uh…I’m feeling a little overwhelmed right now.”

Shiro looked ready to say something about that, but Allura nudged his side. “Of course,” she said, standing up and hauling Shiro with her. She leaned forward to give Lance a gentle hug, “we all love you, Lance. I know it’s not the same, but you are a part of our family, and I hope you can find comfort in that.”

Lance hugged back tightly, “I do, thank you.” Allura smiled, and Shiro waved as he walked her out.

Now only Keith was left with Lance, and when Lance turned to him with a slightly guilty expression, Keith shook his head, “don’t even try it. I’m not going anywhere.”

Lance rolled his eyes, but snuggled back into Keith’s side, “I was just gonna say, I really need to take a shower.”

“Oh,” Keith chuckled, “and you want me to stay out here?”

“Uh, yea…” Lance looked guilty again. Since their first shared shower, each time Lance would need to take one when Keith came over, they’d shower together for some ‘fun’. Lance pretended he didn’t wait to shower with Keith on purpose, but…well Keith knew better.

“One of us needs to stay out here to take the pie out of the oven anyway,” Keith said airily, brushing off Lance’s silent apology by pressing a kiss to his hair. He wrinkled his nose, “yeah, you do need a shower.”

Lance laughed, pushing on Keith’s chest to get up. Keith ‘oof’ed, grasping Lance’s forearms to help push him up and take the weight off his chest. “Alright, alright, I’m showering!” He hurried back into the bathroom, and soon Keith could hear the shower running. He pulled out his phone to scroll through his social media while he waited. It wasn’t long before the oven timer went off, as Keith figured it would.

He found the oven mitts sitting on a trivet beside the stove, and pulled out the pie, pausing to smell before setting it on the trivet. He turned off the oven and timer, made himself a mug of the cider, and went back to the couch, enjoying the spicy cider in the now festive apartment.

The water in the bathroom stopped running, and a minute later Lance emerged, towel around his waist, heading into his bedroom. Normally, he would have sauntered, thrown Keith a saucy wink, but he was still a bit shaken from the events of the day. He came back out a few minutes later, dressed comfortably in dark blue sweat pants and a baseball tee. The sleeves were red, while the body of the shirt was white. On it was a faded classic Mickey in a Santa suit, the words ‘Walt Disney World’ printed across the front, a Mickey ornament in the ‘D’.

Keith looked up and smiled, glad to see Lance wearing something festive. He hoped that meant Lance was feeling more festive. That hope faded when he caught sight of Lance’s frown. “Hey, what’s up?”

“I’m…sorry,” Lance shuffled into the living room and sat down next to Keith, but didn’t touch him. “I was…really shitty when you came over, too wrapped up in my own self pity. I should have said something, but I didn’t even notice how I was acting until the first day I called out sick. I couldn’t get out of bed, I was so…so tired, and depressed, and…well, I’m just making excuses now.”

Keith took Lance’s hand, giving it a gentle squeeze, “I’m just glad you’re feeling better.”

“Was that our first fight?” Lance asked, a little choked up.

“I think so?” Keith chuckled.

“God, I really was a five year old!” Lance moaned, slumping over into Keith’s side, “honestly I’m surprised you didn’t storm out and slam the door.”

Keith pulled Lance close, “I thought about it.”

“Why didn’t you?”

“I had to remind myself that you needed help,” Keith murmured into his hair, “and how much I love you.”

“Keith…” Lance snuggled closer, wrapping his arms around Keith’s waist. Keith leaned back and pulled Lance with him, getting them comfortable on the couch. They sat together, Lance looking around the room at all the decorations. “Hey!” he pointed to his bedroom door, “is that mistletoe?”

Keith smirked, “maybe you should take a closer look.”

Lance grinned and waggled his eyebrows, “only if you come with me.” Keith laughed, and shoved at Lance to stand up. Lance caught his hands, pulling him up, and dragged him to stand under his bedroom doorway. He looked up, then back at Keith, “yeah, I’m pretty sure it’s mistletoe.”

“Pretty sure? Not positive?” Keith moved in closer, eyes flicking to Lance’s lips.

“Mm,” Lance tilted his head, “better kiss anyway, just to be safe.”

“True,” Keith whispered and pressed their lips together. Lance inhaled a sharp breath, while Keith sighed at the contact. He held on to Lance’s hips, while Lance buried his fingers in his hair. Their mouths opened at the same time, tongues sliding as Keith stepped forward, pressing Lance into the door’s frame. The kiss quickly turned sweet, Keith pressing soft kisses over and over onto Lance’s lips, causing Lance to giggle. Keith trailed his kisses across Lance’s cheek until he hooked his chin on Lance’s shoulder and slid his arms around his back. Lance wrapped his arms around Keith as well, and they stood there, hugging and nuzzling, until Lance jolted.

“Did I miss the oven timer?” he asked, mildly panicked.

Keith smiled against Lance’s neck, “it went off while you were in the shower. I took the pie out and turned it all off, don’t worry.” Lance sighed, melting against Keith’s strong frame. “It should be cooled off by now, do you want a piece?”

“Mmm…I do,” Lance shimmied his way out of Keith’s grip and pranced to the kitchen. Keith followed more sedately, a fond smile stretching his lips. Lance checked the pan, then pulled out a knife to cut two generous slices for himself and Keith, who got the plates and forks. They sat at the bar with their slices, Keith waiting for Lance to take the first bite. Lance moaned around his fork, eyes fluttering shut. “Oh my god…Hunk is the absolute best.”

Keith took a bite, and hummed in agreement, “I don’t usually go for pecan, but this pie is amazing.”

“What’s your favorite pie?” Lance asked around another bite.

“You have to ask?” Keith replied, “It’s not worth eating if it doesn’t have…”

“Duh! Chocolate!” Lance smacked his forehead, “you’d think I could remember that, I get you something chocolate every day!”

“Well, to be honest, I don’t like chocolate on cheesecake, but that’s the only thing I prefer without it.”

“Woah. Rule breaker.”

“I made ‘em, I can break ‘em.”

“So do you like anything on your cheesecake, or do you eat it plain?”

“My favorite is raspberries, but I’ll eat it plain or with any kind of berry, or cherry.”

They finished their slices of pie, and Lance covered the rest, storing it in the fridge. They each made another mug of cider before Keith turned off the burner keeping it warm, and set it aside to cool. Lance snuggled into the new Christmas blanket on the couch, and Keith somehow managed to squirm his way under the blanket as well without spilling any cider anywhere.

“Cheesy Christmas movie?” Lance asked, eyes hopeful.

“Ugh, if you insist,” Keith winked, handing Lance the remote.

“Have I mentioned how much I love you today?”

“Hmm…not yet.”

“Huh. Well I do. A lot,” Lance chewed on his lower lip as the TV loaded up Netflix, “Keith, I’m really grateful that you came by to check on me. I don’t think I would have gotten out of bed until the new year if you hadn’t.”

Keith smiled, sliding his arm behind Lance to snuggle him close, “like I said, it’s my job.”

“I’m glad.”

“Me too.”

****

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks, as always, for reading, giving kudos, leaving comments, subscribing, etc etc etc!
> 
> <3<3
> 
> Check me out on tumblr [@KrysBlack](https://krysblack.tumblr.com)!


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Christmas time! Lance celebrates Christmas with some of his new family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew! I was going to write all of their Christmas 'vacation' in one chapter, but I'm 3/4 through and it was already at 12,000 words (my longest so far is 8 thousand something), so I decided to split it up. Bonus! I'm therefore about halfway done with Chapter 13, so maybe it'll come out sooner! Hah!
> 
> Oh! Also! There's some Spanish in this chapter. They're all short phrases, so I used spanishdict.com. If it's really bad or wrong, please let me know so I can fix it <3

Lance almost expected Altea and Voltron to celebrate all together like they did on Thanksgiving. That wasn’t the case, though, considering Pidge’s parents also lived in the area, and Hunk and Shay always drove the two hours to Mobile to spend time with her family (Hunk’s family are all still in Samoa, and he brings Shay to see them every few years in the late spring).

 

So Lance was invited back to Shiro and Allura’s house, along with Coran and Keith, to come for dinner on Christmas Eve, and stay over into Christmas day. Lance readily accepted, grateful to have something to look forward to, and people to spend time with so he wouldn’t get himself down about being ‘alone’ for Christmas all over again. He had a feeling they planned the sleepover merely for his benefit.

 

Which just made him even more grateful, let’s be honest.

 

The week seemed ridiculously short, especially considering he spent four days cooped up in his apartment. He and Keith ended up watching movies late into the night Monday, and fell asleep together on the couch. Keith couldn’t take another day off work, but Lance practically shoved him out the door the next morning anyway, well, after he gave Keith his spare key while blushing furiously, “y’know, in case I refuse to answer the door.” His renewed energy needing to be burned off with a large bout of nervous cleaning. He polished off the pie, drank half the cider, and obsessed over the fact that Keith _spent the night_ , even if it was accidental, sitting up on the couch, _fully clothed_. Lance drooled on his shirt, too. How embarrassing!

 

Considering all this, the rest of his week really flew by, especially since he worked extra hard the following four days to make up for the days he missed. This also kept him too occupied to get obsessively nervous about the fact that he and Keith would be spending the night, together, _on purpose this time_ , even though it was with three other people. Unfortunately, he had plenty of time at night, in bed, alone, with just his thoughts, to get obsessively nervous about this. Really. Obsessively. Nervous. Was he ready to actually spend the night with Keith? He knew they wouldn’t do anything, but still! Sleeping! In the same space! Again, _on purpose_!!

 

Lance didn’t even know how many bedrooms Shiro’s house had. What if it was two? Would he and Keith share while Coran took the couch? No, no that would be rude. Coran could take the room, but then he and Keith would be sharing a couch…woah! Or maybe it was three? Then Coran could have a room, but would he be expected to share the other with Keith? He could always take the couch by himself. 

 

He really needed to stop thinking about this, he was losing sleep. Again. He thought about calling or texting Keith about his worries, but he already knew exactly what Keith would say, “we’ll do whatever you’re comfortable with.” And while that did make him feel a little better, his nerves wouldn’t fully let go. Because he _did_ want to! And that, of course, maze zero sense, even to him. To want something, and be so excited for it, yet simultaneously terrified. He’d never experienced that before, except when he thought about having full-on sex with Keith. But that was different, wasn’t it? Maybe it wasn’t.

 

Fortunately, his super late Saturday night was soothed with sleeping super late Sunday, almost into the afternoon. Coran closed the bakery until Wednesday, giving everyone a full three days off, with pay. The only drawback was that he needed everyone in early Wednesday morning to replenish everything they donated Saturday afternoon since any leftover pastries would go to waste over the holiday. Lance would have slept most of the day, but gentle fingers in his hair pulled him from his slumber. “Mmh…Keith?”

 

“Good morning sleepy head,” warm lips pressed against Lance’s forehead, “it’s nearly noon, what are you still doing in bed?”

 

With a groan, Lance sat up and stretched his arms above his head, amused eyes taking in Keith’s slowly blushing cheeks, “couldn’t get to sleep last night.”

 

Keith’s demeanor immediately changed, turning from amusedly affectionate to worried in an instant, “what’s wrong?”

 

“Nothing, really,” Lance tried to brush off, but Keith’s glare let him know he wouldn’t have it. He sighed, shoulders slumping, “really! I’m just…super nervous to spend the night with you, but also really excited.”

 

“…oh,” Keith blinked, then blushed again, “we don’t have to do anything-“

 

“I’m not comfortable with, I know,” Lance tugged Keith’s sleeve playfully, “I know. That’s the thing, I’m _comfortable_ with it, I’m just also nervous because it’s new and…well, morning wood,” he finished lamely with a shrug.

 

Keith’s laugh brought a smile to Lance’s face. “Morning wood?” Keith asked, “I’m pretty well acquainted with your wood, Lance.”

 

“I know!” Lance huffed, dropping his hands into his lap to encounter the exact thing they were currently talking about. He gasped, tried to cover it up with a cough, and failed miserably if Keith’s smirk had anything to say about it.

 

Keith leaned forward, nose brushing across Lance’s cheek to nuzzle the tender spot under his ear. Lance shivered. “Speak of the devil?” Keith’s rhetorical question earned a quiet moan from Lance, and he began trailing kisses down his neck to gently bite at its base. Lance gasped, but turned his face away when Keith lifted up for a kiss. “Huh?”

 

Lance pressed his lips together, but looked back at Keith with a shrug, “morning breath.” Keith merely shrugged and kissed his cheek, pulling a small smile from him.

 

“Coran’s heading over to Shiro and Allura’s around three, I figured we could go around the same time.”

 

“Sure, sounds good,” Lance replied through a yawn and another stretch. He grimaced at the stale taste of his own mouth, and shoved at Keith, “move, lemme get up. I gotta brush my teeth, ugh.” He heard Keith chuckle, but was already in the living room on his way to the bathroom. Fresh breath was first on his agenda, and after that an empty bladder.

 

He was washing his hands after, when he heard a knock on the bathroom door. “It’s open.”

 

Keith poked his head in, sly smile stretching his lips despite the dusty blush across his cheeks, “want some help in the shower?”

 

“Shit, yeah,” Lance grinned as she shut off the water and started stripping out of his pajamas. He was still half hard from earlier, and blushed when Keith’s eyes zeroed in on that particular part of his body as she slipped in and shut the door behind him. Lance shook himself and busied himself with starting the shower, then turned to watch Keith undress himself as well. The anticipation wasn’t lost on him, either, Lance noticed with a smirk. Keith’s cock was quite interested in ‘helping’ Lance with his shower, if it’s nearly fully-hard state was anything to go by. Keith grinned at being ‘caught’, and pumped himself to full hardness right there. Lance groaned, his own hand reaching down to work himself as he leaned back agains the wall beside the shower. Keith stalked toward him, crowding him against the wall and removing Lance’s hand to take his cock with his own. Lance gasped, “ah! Mmh-“

 

Keith swept in, capturing Lance in a heated, wet kiss. When they were both hard and aching, Keith trailed his lips across Lance’s cheek to murmur in his ear, “have you ever played with your prostate?”

 

“My…uh! Mmh…no, I, a-ah…haven’t, I’ve read-oh!-read about it but…haah…what’s it…f-fuh!-for?”

 

“Hmm…I had a feeling,” Keith leaned back to grin at Lance’s flushed face, “it’s a gland. It’s fluid is what caries the sperm when you come. It also feels really, really good to press and rub on it when you’re horny. It’s…a guy’s g-spot basically.” He moved back and let go of Lance’s dick, throwing him a wink as he stepped into the now-hot shower.

 

Lance stood there for a moment, cock twitching with the ghost feeling of Keith’s firm grip, as he processed that information, “oh…okay.” He moved off the wall, a bit shaky, to join Keith in the shower, “is that why you wanted to shower with me today?”

 

“Uh…partly? If you were already familiar with it, yea. But not for your first time. We’ll do that on the bed…uh…that is, if you want to?” Keith hedged, moving over to let Lance soak under the warm spray. Lance shook his head with a fond smile as he shuffled under the falling water. He tilted his head back and sighed at the warmth, then moaned when Keith’s hands traced up his stomach and over his chest to thumb his nipples, “do you want to?”

 

“Uh,” Lance flailed for a moment until his hands landed on Keith’s forearms to pull them away from his chest. He searched Keith’s open gaze, and said, “ye-yeah,” before biting his lip. Keith smiled and pulled him into a quick kiss before gripping his shoulders and turning him around to wash his hair. Lance melted under the attention, and let Keith maneuver him however he wanted or needed to, much to Keith’s amusement, who kept breaking into chuckles. “Har har, laugh it up, as long as you keep this up,” Lance attempted to grumble, but it came out far too relaxed.

 

“As you wish,” Keith whispered before breaking into giggles this time, and guided Lance back under the spray to rinse out the conditioner.

 

Lance spluttered a bit and peeked at Keith, “did you just make a Princess Bride reference?” He batted Keith’s hands away to slick his hair back and moved out of the water to get a good look at him.

 

Keith feigned innocence, “what? I’ve never seen that movie, I don’t know what you’re talking about,” but couldn’t keep the expression for long, snickering at Lance’s disbelieving expression. Soon they were both snickering, Lance bent forward to lean against Keith’s chest, Keith’s arms draped over Lance’s back. When they calmed down, Keith leaned around Lance to shut the water off, “come on, let’s dry off and hop back in your bed.”

 

With a jolt, Lance remembered what they were getting ready to do, and anticipation coiled hot and tight in his gut all over again. He followed Keith out of the shower, and got his towel from the rack while Keith pulled one from the cabinet. They dried off quickly, gathered their clothes and an extra towel, and headed back to Lance’s room still naked. Lance tossed his clothes in the hamper while Keith got something from his jeans and then hung them and the rest of his clothes on a chair. They met at the foot of Lance’s bed, Keith smiling easily while Lance’s smile was slightly nervous. Keith dropped the towel on the bed. “We’ll take it slow, ok? If you want to stop, just say so,” Keith cupped Lance’s cheek with his free hand. Lance’s smile widened, losing most of his nervousness, and he nodded. Keith gave him a brief kiss, “lay down on your back for me.”

 

After a deep breath, Lance did as asked, crawled onto the bed and lay down on his back. He wiggled a bit, getting comfortable, and looked up at Keith, bottom lip caught in his teeth. Keith joined him soon after, crawling up Lance’s body while gently spreading his legs to settle between them. Lance’s breathing picked up at the sight, his flagging erection quickly filling back up, something Keith definitely noticed if his smirk was any indication. He reached out, fingers trailing up Lance’s cock with the briefest touch, then sliding back down to gently trace his balls, and lower to brush his perineum. Lance gasped, knees falling farther apart to reveal more of his ass to Keith’s hungry gaze. Keith moaned, and bent forward to press a kiss on the inside of Lance’s knee. He rubbed the inside of Lance’s thigh as he sat up, and showed Lance what was in his other hand - a small tube of lube, “ready to get started?”

 

“S-sure,” Lance replied, shifting a little and spreading his legs a little wider- he knew to do that much. Keith popped the cap and spread lube over two of his fingers, then closed the tube and set it to the side. He wrapped his clean hand around Lance’s cock, earning another gasp, while he danced his lubed fingers down over his balls, past his perineum, to rub gently against his anus. Lance shivered, a breathy moan escaping his lips, “oh, shit.”

 

“You okay?” Keith stilled, but didn’t pull his hands away.

 

“Yeah,” Lance breathed, “yeah. It’s kinda weird, but…not bad weird?” He covered his face with his hands, embarrassed of what just came out of his mouth. 

 

Keith leaned up to press a kiss to his chin, the only spot on his face not covered, then nipped at his neck, “not bad weird is how it felt my first time, too.”

 

“Really?” Lance peeked out from behind his hands. Keith smiled, and chose that moment to resume his actions, pumping Lance’s dick in a loose fist while lightly massaging his anus. Lance arched his back, hands leaving his face to wrap around Keith’s shoulders, “ah! Mmm…f-fuck! W-weird just…oh! just turned, ah, good.”

 

“Oh?” Keith’s finger rubbed a little more firmly, the pad catching on Lance’s rim. Lance tensed at the sensation, even though he moaned, “shh, it’s gonna be weird again when I press in, but I need you to relax. Take your time, breathe, focus on this,” Keith’s hand tightened on Lance’s cock, drawing his attention there. When he heard a shuddering moan from Lance, he eased up just a bit, finding a slow rhythm for Lance to focus on and relax to, “there you go.” Keith sat back to focus on Lance’s lower half again, hand pumping slowly, finger rubbing gently, and occasionally pressing more insistently to test how relaxed Lance was. It took a few minutes, Keith’s own cock hard and throbbing as he listened to Lance’s moaning and panting, knowing he was teasing with his light touches but loathe to rush the process.

 

Finally, Keith deemed Lance’s anus relaxed enough and shifted his position to give his hand and arm better leverage. He slowed his pumping even more and leaned forward to catch Lance’s eye, “here we go, yea?” Lance nodded, and Keith smiled. His finger stopped massaging to press firmly, the pad slowly breeching Lance’s hole. Lance closed his eyes, breath caught in his throat, until Keith spoke again, “look at me, Lance. Focus here.” When Lance complied, Keith pressed more until his finger slid in to the second joint. 

 

“Oh!” Lance canted his hips up, drawing in even more of Keith’s finger with a groan. 

 

Keith paused there, but still continued to pump Lance’s cock with a light touch, letting him get used to the feeling. When Lance began to squirm against him, he sank the finger in farther, all the way to the knuckle, and paused there just a moment before slowly pulling back out, to push in again once he reached the tip of his finger. Lance’s breathing sped up, and he made a few punched-out moans. “Are you okay?” Keith asked.

 

It took Lance a few seconds, or more, to answer, but Keith waited patiently since Lance’s face showed no signs of pain. “I…yea, I’m okay,” he shifted his hips a bit, finding a more comfortable position, “is this…is this it?”

 

That question drew a quiet laugh from Keith, who shook his head, “no, this isn’t it. If it was, anal sex wouldn’t be so much fun. Once you’re used to one finger, and relaxed again, I’m gonna add a second one.” Lance’s eyes widened, and Keith smiled gently, “I won’t do more than two, today.” He chuckled as Lance visibly relaxed, going nearly boneless on the bed, “and when you’re relaxed, just like this, with two, we’ll start playing with your prostate.” Keith’s smile turned into a smirk when Lance shivered, taking the opportunity of his current relaxation to tease his hole with a second finger. Lance whined, ass moving as if he didn’t know if he wanted to push against Keith’s hand or away from it. Keith kept pumping and teasing, slowly letting off stimulating his cock in favor of Lance really feeling his fingers. Another few moments, and he leaned leaned back to get a better view, “I’m gonna start with the second finger now, ok?”

 

“Oh-ah! okay…” Lance humped the air above him, searching for some friction for his cock, but kept his hands clenched in his blanket. He didn’t know what to do, but he trusted Keith to take care of him - he always did. Even now, despite Keith’s desperate gaze, and his angry purple/red cock dripping precum, he was going so slow, making sure Lance was okay, and relaxed, and feeling good. Lance really couldn’t have asked for a better boyfriend. “A-ah!” his back arched as a second finger breached his hole, the stretch burning a little, though that somehow added to the pleasure he was slowly starting to feel in and around his ass. “F-fuck…ah, Keith…”

 

“Hmm?” Keith looked up, gaze at first worried, then amused, “how’s it going?”

 

Lance giggled at the choice of words, “ah, okay? It burns, a little…but it’s not painful. Stretching, right?” He really thought he’d be more embarrassed talking everything through like this, but since they’d been talking through almost everything it started feeling wrong _not_ talking it out like this.

 

Keith’s second finger soon joined the first, fully inside Lance, and he paused to give Lance the time to get used to the additional stretch, “that’s right. It should fade pretty quickly.” He started pumping his fingers once again, this time drawing a low moan from Lance in the process. Good.

 

Feet scrabbling for purchase on the bed covers, Lance canted his hips up a little farther, trying to take in more of Keith’s fingers, “ah, yeah…yeah it’s gone, the burn, oh god…fuck!”

 

“Already? Good. How does it feel now?” Keith kept his pumping fingers smooth and gentle, purposely avoiding touching Lance’s prostate before they were ready to move on.

 

“Ugh…it’s good…goddamn,” was Lance’s breathy reply. Keith noticed then how much he was bowing his back to raise his hips, and reached up to grab the pillow Lance wasn’t laying on, shoving it under his hips for some added support. Lance immediately relaxed onto it with a grateful sigh.

 

Slowing his pumping fingers to near stillness, Keith leaned up and over Lance, propping himself up with by pressing his hand into the mattress next to Lance’s face and hovering over it, “ready to play?” At Lance’s frantic nod, he grinned, leaning down only to quickly nip at Lance’s lip before propping himself up again. “Wanna see your face when I find it,” he murmured, “here we go.” He pressed his fingers in slowly, to where he thought was the right place, and crooked those fingers up. Lance didn’t react much, and Keith pursed his lips. He pulled back a bit, dragging the crooked fingers along, then pushed back in, a little farther than before. A little more, and…there! 

 

With a shout, Lance’s whole body tensed, his back arched, and his head flew back. He was thrumming with pleasure, of a kind he’d never known before. The shout tapered off into a loud, drawn-out moan as Lance slowly relaxed, legs shaking a bit, when Keith drew his fingers back just far enough to let off on the stimulation.

 

“Found it,” Keith cheekily sang, and Lance huffed in amusement.

 

“Holy…shit…oh, fuck…god, why don’t they teach that in sex ed?”

 

“‘Cuz then all the boys would flunk out of school, too busy milking their prostates.”

 

Lance laughed, “oh, my…ahaha, oh god, you’re right!” Keith joined in, then smirked and briefly rubbed against Lance’s prostate again, causing him to jerk and groan, hands finally raising to tangle in Keith’s hair, “fuck, Keith.” Lance moaned when Keith brushed over the spot again, another fleeting touch, and tugged on his hair.

 

Keith spread his fingers, rubbing Lance’s inner walls just to either side of his prostate, “wanna see if you can come from just this? I have a feeling you might actually be able to.”

 

Hips thrusting down against Keith’s hand, Lance whined at the thought, “fuck…I don’t know, what if I can’t?”

 

“Then I’ll jerk you off, too, is that okay?”

 

“Mmh…yeah, yea okay.”

 

Keith bent down closer to Lance. “Okay,” he whispered and caught Lance’s lips in a bruising kiss. While their tongues slid together, Keith brought his fingers back together, and began thrusting them directly into Lance’s prostate. Lance shuddered, threw his head back, and cried out, the sound choked off toward the end as he heaved a shuddering breath. Keith lifted up a bit to give his arm better leverage to pump, wide eyes watching Lance come undone beneath him. Too soon for his liking, he couldn’t stand it any longer. He had to sit up, he needed his other hand. Bringing it back to his own body, he grasped his cock tightly around the base first, to bring himself back a few steps, then began slowly pumping, pulling back his foreskin to release the precum that has pooled there. He gradually increased his pace until he was matching his thrusting fingers, Lance’s desperately pleasured sounds bringing him closer faster than he anticipated. He enjoyed holding off, though, especially for the sight he was privy to now.

 

Lance thrashed his head back and forth, breaths gasping, moans overlapping as his hands dropped back down to the blankets when Keith sat up. The thrusts against his prostate had him writhing and high, soaring. His chest felt tight, his gut was hot, and the coil within him was wound tighter than he knew it could go. He had a slight moment of panic, ‘oh shit, I can’t come like this, it’s not enough!’ It floated in and out of the forefront of his mind, but the moment he felt ready to voice it, he suddenly knew it was wrong. “Fuck, fuck, Keith…oh shit! I-I’m, I’m!” his back arched, legs shaking and hands white-knuckled fisting the sheets, and he came, and came, hot cum reaching far enough to hit his neck and chin. His ass clenched hard around Keith’s fingers, that didn’t stop right away, drawing out his orgasm until his twitching cock was completely spent, and slowly pulled out. Lance vaguely recognized feeling of hot wetness across his thighs and balls, but didn’t register what that meant. Chest heaving, he gasped for breath coming down from his little orgasm high, to murmur, “fuck…Keith…”

 

His reward was a chuckle, “I take it you enjoyed that?” Oh, that snark! Lance contemplated what he could say to get back at Keith for it.

 

He shrugged, “eh…I’ve had better.” Somehow he managed to keep a straight face, but he had to avoid making eye contact with Keith or he’d burst into giggles.

 

“You…what…I…” Keith spluttered, and Lance cracked, giggles breaking out of him like a flood. Keith stopped, and huffed, “you little shit.”

 

That brought Lance into full-on laughter, “oh, man! I had you for a second there.”

 

With a pout, Keith reached back to snag that extra towel, wiping his hands off and then turning to gently clean Lance’s skin. It was then he noticed how far Lance shot his cum, and chuckled, “you might not admit it, but the spunk on your _chin_ tells me that was a pretty intense orgasm.” He grinned at Lance’s blush, and paused to kiss his pouting lips before wiping up the rest of their cum. “I dunno about you, but I think we’re gonna need another shower.”

 

“That’s a tragedy,” Lance sighed, “I was hoping to spend the rest of the day lazing in bed, smelling of sex and sweat.”

 

“That’s gross, and I know you’re lying,” Keith retorted, “but I will concede to laying down for a little bit before we go clean up,” and flopped onto the bed next to Lance. He reached out his hand with the towel and unceremoniously dropped it off the side of the bed while Lance turned over to curl against his side.

 

“Okay, in all seriousness, that was the best orgasm I’ve ever had.”

 

“I’m not surprised.”

 

“You could act surprised. I’m surprised!”

 

“I knew you could do it,” Keith turned on his side, propping up on his elbow and wrapping his other arm around Lance’s waist, “when it started feeling good for you _before_ I even touched your prostate, I had a feeling. It was right.”

 

Lance frowned, “does that mean anything in particular?”

 

Fingers doodling over Lance’s hip, Keith shrugged. “Not really. It _could_ mean that you might prefer to bottom, but there’s no set rules for that or anything.”

 

“I think I’m actually kind of excited now. To bottom. For real.”

 

“Fuck,” Keith groaned, “don’t say shit like that without a little warning.” He glared down at his softening cock, that gave a half-hearted twitch of interest at the thought of burying itself in Lance’s ass. “Fuck,” he said again, for good measure.

 

“Sorry,” Lance didn’t sound sorry at all. He shuffled around and sat up with a stretch, “my skin’s starting to itch.” Keith groaned, but sat up anyway, scooting up behind Lance to press tender kisses over his shoulder and up his neck. Lance moaned, head tipping back against Keith’s shoulder, “mmm…there’s no way I’m getting it up again today. There’s nothing left.”

 

Keith nipped at Lance’s ear, “you’d be surprised, but we won’t try that today.” Lance shivered, and Keith chuckled, shoving him forward so they both stood. Keith wrapped himself around Lance, plastered to his back, and walked with him all the way into the bathroom like that, Lance grumbling the whole way.

 

****

 

They arrived at Shiro and Allura’s house a little later than Coran, which had Lance a little giggly as they pulled into the driveway. Keith huffed in amusement, but still turned to Lance when he shut off the car to say, “dude, pull it together.” When Lance tried, but failed, Keith had an idea and smirked, “unless you want me to explain to everyone exactly what you got for Christmas that has you so giggly.”

 

Immediately, Lance flushed bright red and covered his face, the giggles gone. He tried to scowl and glare at Keith, but since he learned that scowl _from_ Keith it didn’t really work. When Keith smiled in triumph, Lance recognized what he was doing, and stuck his tongue out. “Yea yea, thanks.”

 

They stepped out of the car and got their overnight bags and Christmas gifts out of the trunk. Lance was thankful they did a Secret Santa type thing where they drew a name from a hat, complete with ideas of what to get the person, and a pre-agreed budget between everyone. Keith had pulled Coran’s name this year, and Lance got Shiro. Keith led the way to the front door and walked right in, “hello!” A chorus of greetings floated in from the kitchen, so they dumped their bags by the door, dropped the gifts under the tree in the living room, and went to the kitchen. Shiro was busy at the stove while Coran and Allura sat at the breakfast bar, leaning against each other comfortably. “Hey guys.”

 

Allura got off her stool to give them both a hug. “Keith! Lance! You’re just in time. Shiro’s making _real_ egg nog,” she nodded over toward Shiro, who glanced over his shoulder and waved. “Drinks and hours devours are on the dining table, help yourselves to whatever you like.”

 

“Thank you,” Lance replied, but stayed put. He and Keith hadn’t thought about food until about five minutes before they left, and scarfed down some leftovers Lance had in his fridge. 

 

Keith nudged Lance’s side. “Allura must really like you, the rest of us never get the hostess treatment from her,” he murmured, loud enough for everyone to hear, and wandered off to the dining table to check out the spread and get something to drink.

 

“Nonsense,” Allura replied, “not that I dislike you, Lance. Everyone else has just been around long enough to know without being told to help themselves and treat my home as their own. I expect the same from you, and _that_ means I really like you.”

 

Lance flushed, “I’ll remember that.” He was getting ready to follow Keith when said boyfriend…lover? no, boyfriend, came back with two drinks in his hand. He handed one to Lance and took a sip from the other. Lance accepted the drink, and was about to take a sip of what he thought was coke, when the sharp scent of alcohol hit his nose. He paused, glass barely touching his lip, and lowered the drink to the counter. He still felt queasy, and wouldn’t be surprised if-

 

“Lance, you look a little green, are you okay?” Keith asked, immediately reaching out to feel his forehead.

 

“Yeah, yeah I’m fine. I’m okay,” Lance let him feel, even leaned into him a little, and pushed the glass away from himself.

 

Keith caught the motion, and groaned inwardly, “you don’t drink?” Lance bit his lip and shook his head. Keith frowned, “but you had wine at Thanksgiving…is it the hard liquor?”

 

Lance had tensed, expecting an accusation of being a hypocrite like he’d received in college, and sighed when Keith’s tone reminded him he was just asking to know, to understand. “Yea, sorry, I should have said, I wasn’t thinking. I’ve never been able to drink liquor. Something about it just makes me feel sick.” He shrugged, “wine doesn’t bother me at all, though.”

 

“Huh,” Keith pursed his lips in thought, but dismissed it just as quickly. “Is it, uh…do you mind if I, um…still drink?” he asked shyly.

 

With a thoughtful look, Lance pulled Keith in for a quick kiss, evaluating his reaction to tasting the rum and coke on Keith’s lips. Fortunately, it didn’t bother him, “no, I don’t mind.” Keith nodded, eyes a tad glassy at the unexpected show of affection, and took another sip of his drink. Lance patted his arm and stepped around him to head for the table, “I’m gonna find something else to drink.”

 

****

 

Later, they cleared the table to set it for Allura and Shiro’s ‘Traditional Christmas Dinner’, which was a home made lasagna, take-out Olive Garden breadsticks, and a green salad of Boston Lettuce and a simple vinaigrette. It was casual, and comfortable, and everyone here loved and accepted him exactly as he was. He didn’t have to hide here, and suddenly the words he told his family over two months ago finally rang true. This. This right here, was home.

 

They were lounging in the living room, dozing off dinner, a 4K Fireplace video playing on Netflix, when Keith asked, “you seem really relaxed and happy, care to share?”

 

Everyone’s eyes turned to Lance, but instead of blushing and mumbling, he smiled. “Remember what I told Becca, on the phone, and my parents at the hotel?”

 

“I think so? But most of us weren’t there for that,” Keith replied.

 

“They asked me to come home, and I told them I was home, here with you guys,” Lance looked around the room, “but I really didn’t feel that until today, sitting at your table Allura, eating a Christmas dinner I never expected, and knowing I didn’t have to hide any part of myself to be accepted.”

 

Keith hugged Lance tight, but Allura spoke first, “oh, Lance. I’m so happy to hear that! We’ve all been worried over what happened last week, we hate to see you hurting. But now, I’m just so relieved to hear you feel comfortable to be yourself around us.”

 

Coran nodded, “that’s a very mature realization you’ve come to, my boy. I can’t speak for anyone else, but I’m proud to have witnessed how much you’ve grown since coming to work at the Bakery.”

 

“Oh, stop it,” Lance muttered, wiping at his eyes as he tucked his head under Keith’s chin, which drew chuckled from everyone else. 

 

In the lull of conversation, Shiro suddenly sat up straight. “The egg nog should be done by now, who wants some?” Everyone but Lance raised their hand or voiced their affirmative. Shiro stood, but paused to shoot an amused glance at Lance, “I kept some to the side without alcohol in case you wanted some.”

 

“Shiro!” Lance whined, “you didn’t have to do that for me.”

 

“I know,” Shiro smiled, “I wanted to. You want some?”

 

“Of course!”

 

With a nod, Shiro walked back into the kitchen.

 

Lance flopped back against Keith with a dramatic sigh, “Keith, your brother-cousin is seriously the best.”

 

Keith laughed, “last week you said Hunk was the best for his pecan pie.”

 

“Hey, these are two completely unrelated categories.” Lance held up one finger, “Hunk is the best because he made my favorite pie when I was depressed, and Shiro is the best for saving me some non-alcoholic _home made_ egg nog on Christmas Eve.”

 

“Those are very specific categories,” Coran commented.

 

“Exactly. And those are just two! There’s _tons_ of categories where someone can be the best in my book. Equal opportunity for all.”

 

Keith and Allura laughed, while Coran shook his head in amusement. Shiro returned carrying a tray of festive red glasses. Lance spied a single green glass at one corner. Shiro grabbed that one first and presented it to Lance, “so I know which one is yours,” then handed the red glasses to everyone else before sitting down. They each took a sip, and exclamations of appreciation filled the room, much to Shiro’s embarrassment. “It’s just egg nog, guys, but thanks.”

 

They soon lounged together in silence, the digital fire crackling in the background, as they sipped their drinks and relaxed for a few minutes. Then, Allura reached over the side of the couch and brought up a box of DVD’s. She passed them to Shiro, who handed them over to Lance. He, understandably, stared at the box in confusion for nearly a full minute before Allura decided to help him out a bit, “pick one for us to watch, silly.”

 

“Me? Really?” Lance seriously couldn’t get over how much this family did to include him.

 

“Yes, or I’ll ask Keith to,” Allura warned, causing both Shiro and Coran to groan.

 

“Does Keith pick bad movies?” Lance thought Keith’s taste in movies was great, since his was pretty much the same.

 

“No, but he always picks the sappiest Christmas movies,” Shiro complained.

 

Keith bristled, “hey! Those are classics, man!”

 

“Whatever.”

 

“Okay, I’ll pick!” Lance cut in, knowing if Keith and Shiro got into it, it’d be at least thirty minutes of banter before they could move on. He titled the box, eyes skimming the titles when they landed on one of his Christmas favorites. “Ha! Yes! This one,” he pulled out the slim case, showing off the festive cover. Everyone but Keith cheered, who let out a quiet groan. Lance eyed him warily, “what’s wrong with Elf?”

 

Keith shrugged, “never seen it, but I’m not a huge fan of Will Farrell.”

 

Lance grinned, “me either, but I make an exception for this.” He handed the box and his choice back to Shiro, who took both to the entertainment center, stowing the box and putting the disc in the DVD player. Lance pursed his lips in thought, coming to a decision, “I’m going to apologize in advance here. I can and will quote Buddy the Elf’s entire dialogue.” To his amusement, Keith chuckled, Allura grinned, Shiro groaned, and Coran stared at him in wide-eyed horror.

 

He quoted Buddy the Elf’s entire dialogue.

 

Keith found the entire movie, and Lance’s imitations hilarious.

 

Success.

 

****

 

They all stayed up much later than anyone had really planned, hanging out and talking after the movie. It was nearing 1 am when Shiro realized the time and called an end to their evening.

 

Shiro and Allura’s house did end up having three bed rooms; their own, and two guest rooms. One had a full size bed and a small sleeper couch, while the other had a queen size bed. Being the thoughtful gentleman he is, Coran had already claimed the room with the smaller bed, leaving Lance with the dilemma of ‘bed or couch?’ He was definitely feeling much less panicky about it after what he and Keith did this morning, on his bed. It really was a day of firsts. First time having _that_ kind of fun, first time doing something on his bed with Keith, and now possibly the first time sleeping in the same bed too? That was a little overwhelming. What’s that phrase? In for penny…

 

So when, after bidding everyone else good night, Keith asked the all important ‘are we doing this?’ question with his eyes, Lance bit his lip around a smile and picked up their discarded overnight bags. Keith’s beaming smile in return was enough to convince Lance this was the right thing, and they walked together down the hall and into their room. 

 

Coran was currently using the guest bath to get ready, so instead of sitting around waiting, they both went ahead and changed into their pajamas.

 

“Wait,” Keith looked over at the bed, then back at Lance’s slightly panicked face, “what side do you like to sleep on?”

 

“Dude!” Lance exclaimed, shoulders slumping in relief, “dramatic much?” Keith sent him a mock-scowl, but Lance pulled him in for a brief kiss to melt it away, “I don’t care, I usually end up in the middle anyway.”

 

“I’ll take that to mean I’ll be hanging on the edge for dear life,” Keith muttered as he slid his arms around Lance’s waist.

 

To his credit, Lance didn’t object to that statement, though he did offer an alternative, “well, unless you’re hanging on to _me_ for dear life.”

 

Keith considered that possibility for a moment, head tilted, and smirked, “that does sound a little better.” They heard the bathroom door open and close, followed by the same sound from the other guest room directly across the hall. “Do you wanna go first?”

 

“Nah, you go ahead. I’m gonna take longer anyway.”

 

Keith shrugged, and they shared one more kiss before he grabbed his toiletry bag and headed to the bathroom. 

 

Lance flopped onto the bed, phone in hand, and checked for any messages. To his surprise, there were a few texts, and even two voicemails waiting for him. He checked his texts first.

 

**Pidgeon**

Merry Christmas Disnerd. Remember to keep it down tonight, Coran doesn’t want to hear that shit.

 

**Lancey Lance**

Har har, you’re hilarious. XD Merry Christmas!

 

——

 

**Hunk’a Burnin Love**

Merry Christmas from Shay and myself!

 

**Lancey Lance**

Give that Shay a hug from me, and tell her to give you a kiss ;) Merry Christmas!

 

——

 

**Stella Bella**

¡Feliz Navidad hermano! 

 

Mamá and Papá miss you, I can tell. I think they’re gonna break soon, so be prepared for that. 

 

I hope you’re not answering because you’re with Keith, and maybe some of the others in your group.

 

We miss you too by the way!

 

Te amo <3

 

**Lancey Lance**

Aw, Bells! ¡Feliz Navidad!

 

I think that was the best present I could ever get right now. I hate being apart from you guys! But I know it will get better.

 

Yes, I’m with Keith, and Shiro, Allura, and Coran. Everyone else is with Pidge at their parent’s house.

 

I miss you guys so much! Lay some wet smooches on Chuck for me, then give him a noogie.

 

¡Te quiero tanto!

 

——

 

**Chuck Norris**

Dude, I thought summer was weird without you sneaking us into Disney. Today has been even weirder.

 

Seriously. Mamá and Papá keep almost mentioning you, but then change the subject all weird and shit. I think they’re starting to really miss you. 

 

Finally.

 

Anyway. ¡Feliz Navidad!

 

Loser

 

**Lancey Lance**

OMG this whole month has been weird without you guys, I feel kinda lost.

 

Keith and his fam are helping though, so I’m ok

 

¡Feliz Navidad!

 

Lick Bells. Tell her it’s from me, then duck.

 

——

 

He exited the message app and switched to his voice mail. It was from Papá. Immediately, he locked his phone and dropped in onto his stomach. He lay there, staring at the ceiling, willing his heart rate to go back to normal, until Keith came back in the room.

 

“Bathroom’s free,” Keith said, tone mild, as he walked over to the bed. When he saw Lance’s expression, he sat down beside him and rested a hand on his knee, “did something happen?”

 

“I have two voice mails from Papá,” Lance whispered shakily.

 

Keith paused a moment to think, gently rubbing Lance’s thigh in what he hoped was a soothing manner, “do you want to go do your thing in the bathroom, and listen to them together after?”

 

Lance immediately thought that was the best idea ever, and broke his staring contest with the ceiling to smile directly at Keith, “this is why I love you. You have the best ideas.” He grabbed onto Keith’s arm and pulled himself up, dropped a kiss on Keith’s nose, and hurried to the bathroom, snagging his much larger toiletry back on his way out.

 

Lance rushed through his nightly routine, and was back in the bed room in record time. Keith didn’t seem impressed, but he didn’t have a basis for comparison so Lance ignored his indifference and inwardly praised himself for his speediness. He joined Keith on the bed, sitting cross-legged next to him, his phone set carefully on the covers.

 

“Fuck, Keith. What if he called to yell at me? Or blame me for something?” Lance shivered, and Keith wrapped his arm around Lance’s shoulders, pulling him into his side.

 

“Then we’ll delete it and I’ll kiss you until you forget he even called you,” Keith murmured into Lance’s ear, earning him a much different kind of shiver. _Down, boy_.

 

With a deep breath, Lance unlocked his phone. It immediately opened back up to the voice mail page. His finger hovered over the first message from his Papá, and with another heaved sigh, he touched it, and selected speaker so they could both hear it.

 

“Lance,” his Papá’s voice started, “Feliz Navidad. I’ve been speaking with Stella and Charlie, and they’ve been pretty obvious in their displeasure at mine and your Mamá’s decision regarding your…choices. I must admit, that they were right about some things. Our love for you is supposed to be unconditional, but we set a very strong condition on you the last time we spoke. For that, I apologize, _we_ apologize, and we would like to take that condition back. Erase it. I…I know you’ve set up a new life for yourself, and I won’t ask you to leave that. Your…is the word boyfriend appropriate? Yes? Ok. Your boyfriend seems like a nice young man…despite his tattoos. Anyway, we both know things will never go back to the way they were, but I believe we can work together to make something better than what is going on now. We’d like for-“

 

The first message cut off there. “Oh,” Lance breathed, “I guess it timed out. Can I…?” He hovered his finger over the second message, and with Keith’s nod touched it as well.

 

“I guess voice mails have a cut off? I’ve never left such a long message before,” Papá chuckled, “anyway, we want you to know that you’re welcome to come home any time, whether it’s to visit or to stay, either way we want to see you. We want to…get to know the you that doesn’t have to hide from us. And…if things are serious with…what was his name? Keith? If things are serious with Keith, then we’d like to be properly introduced. When you’re ready of course. So…Merry Christmas, Lance. We miss you. We love you. I hope you’ll call tomorrow, I’ll make sure Mamá speaks English if Keith is with you. Okay, good bye.”

 

They sat still and silent long enough for Lance’s phone to lock itself, then Lance and Keith locked eyes. Keith’s were wide with surprise, Lance’s were rimmed red, tears streaming down his cheeks. Keith immediately pulled him into a hug, where Lance sobbed into his shoulder. The sobs soon turned into chuckles, and eventually Lance leaned back to grin at Keith.

 

“They were warning me.”

 

“Who?”

 

“Chuck and Bells! Here, look,” Lance unlocked his phone again to show him the texts he’d received from his younger siblings. “They were giving me hints, that Papá’s voice mail wasn’t gonna be bad. Oh, Keith!” he wrapped his arms around Keith again, pulling him into a rather wet kiss, “this is the best present ever!”

 

“Do you want to go visit them?” Keith asked curiously.

 

Lance shrugged, “yes, but…not yet? I will call them tomorrow. Will you…be with me? For the call?”

 

Keith smiled, “of course.” He gently wiped the remaining tears from Lance’s cheeks, “but for now, let’s go to bed?”

 

Lance nodded, “yeah.” They got up to pull the covers down, each setting their phone on one of the two bed side tables, and Lance slid into bed while Keith turned off the main light, leaving the room in the soft glow of the bed side lamp. He joined Lance in bed, and they lay on their sides, facing each other, Lance’s cheeks crimson much to Keith’s enjoyment. Reaching out his hands, Keith pulled Lance close, and they shared a few less-than-innocent kisses before he reached out behind himself and turned off the lamp. Immediately, the room was dark, only illuminated by a street lamp just outside the single, small window. Small stripes of cool blue light shining on the ceiling through the slats of the blinds.

 

Lance immediately snuggled into Keith’s chest, arm draped over his waist, legs tangling together. Keith hugged Lance close, gently rubbing his palm between his shoulder blades, smiling as he felt Lance slowly relax, “good night, Lance.”

 

“G’night, Keith,” came his muffled reply.

 

“I love you,” Keith whispered.

 

It took a few moments, and Keith suspected Lance had already fallen asleep when he heard an equally quiet, “love you,” in return. They both fell asleep with smiles on their faces.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys are seriously the best. The amount of kudos, comments, and subscribers for this, my first big chaptered fic EVER, is seriously amazing and overwhelming and...I've got some major warm fuzzies.
> 
> So THANK YOU! It's because of you I'm encouraged to keep writing this fic, that I'm still having so much fun with it, because I'm already recognizing so many names from commenters (YOU GUYS) that keep commenting, on every chapter, and the love is almost tangible.
> 
> Okay, I'll stop gushing now, hehe...
> 
> So! Keep it up! Kudos, comments, reads, subscriptions, whatever.
> 
> And hit me up on [tumblr](http://krysblack.tumblr.com)


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Christmas Day!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 2 chapters in ONE DAY! Lol, I've apparently been on a roll! I'm glad I split them up, though, or it would have been a BEAST 16k word chapter (almost literally, 19 words short)
> 
> So anyway! Here's more!

Lance woke to the smell of bacon and coffee, and…grumbling? He blinked bleary eyes and yawned, but when he tried to stretch there was something in his way. What? His eyes opened and he lifted his head to look down at…

 

Keith. Keith? He quickly assessed his situation. He was completely wrapped around Keith, arms tight around his waist, legs tangled, and laying half on top of him. His head had been pillowed on his chest, there was no other place it could have been.

 

“Uh…good morning?” Lance asked tentatively.

 

Keith’s mildly annoyed face smoothed out, and he smiled just a little bit, “good morning.”

 

Lance smiled back as he slowly detangled himself from Keith, “I take it you’ve been up for a while?”

 

“I’ve been awake for thirty minutes smelling coffee, but you wouldn’t budge,” Keith shrugged, and caught Lance’s waist so he wouldn’t move too far away. “Did you sleep well?”

 

Lance blushed, and bit his lip to keep from apologizing. He knew Keith wasn’t mad, and would tell him to stop anyway. “Yeah, I slept really well actually. What about you? Besides the last thirty minutes.”

 

“It was…different,” Keith hedged. When Lance frowned, he hurried to add, “I’m just not used to a lot of…touching? It wasn’t bad! It was really nice, just…new, so…y’know…”

 

Lance let out a relieved breath, slumping back onto Keith, “yeah, I think I get it.”

 

Keith squeezed him tight, “a few more nights like this and I’ll be properly acclimated.”

 

“A few more…uh…” Lance’s brain short-circuted, “ye-yeah. Sure…”

 

Keith chuckled, “too early for that?”

 

“Uh, huh.”

 

“Need a minute?”

 

“Uh, huh.”

 

“Okay. I’m gonna go take a shower.”

 

“Okay,” Lance moved off of Keith to let him stand, watching as he pulled fresh clothes out of his bag and left the room. He checked his phone. 9:30, no new messages. He narrowed his eyes and shot a message of his own to his sister.

 

**Stella Bella**

You could have told me that Papá called, and not to freak out. Watch out for payback.

 

——

 

Once finished sending the message, he let his hands fall splayed out across the bed and dozed until Keith came back in.

 

“Hey. Get up, go shower,” Keith nudged Lance’s hip with his foot.

  
Lance jolted awake, “I’m up!” His hand immediately went to wipe away drool from the corner of his mouth. He met Keith’s amused gaze and chuckled at himself as he rolled out of bed to ruffle through his own bag for the clothes Keith had picked out for him yesterday. He tilted his head, looking at the light wash jeans and green t-shirt. This wasn’t his shirt. Dropping the rest of his clothes on top of the bag, he held the shirt out to get a good look at it. It was a solid green long-sleeved shirt with the word ‘nice’ written across in bright red script. Lance set his calculating gaze on Keith, who chose that moment to turn and see what why Lance was stalling. Keith’s shirt was the same style, but red, with the word ‘naughty’ in green script. “Did you…” Lance looked between the two shirts and Keith’s pleased but guilty expression, “did you get us couples shirts?”

 

Keith scratched the back of his head, “Merry Christmas?”

 

“Oh my god,” Lance laughed, “you’re perfect!” He took a step in Keith’s direction, then suddenly remembered he hadn’t brushed his teeth yet and stopped. “Expect lots of kisses when I come out of the bathroom,” he warned, grabbed his clothes, and left for the bathroom.

 

Again, Lance showered and got himself ready in record time. It really was amazing what being excited to spend time with someone could do. The bedroom was empty when he returned to drop off his cleaned up toiletries and pajamas, so he spent a few minutes tidying up (Keith had already packed his bag) before heading out to the living room, and when no-one was there, farther to the kitchen.

 

Shiro, Allura, and Coran were seated at the bar, and Keith was standing in front of the counter on its other side, each eating from plates in varying degrees of emptiness. Keith’s eyes twinkled when he saw Lance walk in, his easy smile sharpening into a smirk, “there you are.”

 

The others turned to Lance, their greetings dying before they could even get out as their eyes zeroed in on his shirt, flicked back briefly toward Keith, and settled on varying stages of shock, amusement, or horror.

 

Shiro broke the ice, “nice shirt, Lance. Whose idea was that?”

 

“Mine,” Keith jumped in, still calmly eating his breakfast.

 

Allura rolled her eyes, “are you this tacky on purpose? Or is this some sort of love-sick thing?”

 

Lance and Keith laughed at that, not sure if the rest really knew how terribly sappy they could get. “I’m sure it’s a little bit of both,” Lance replied. He stopped next to Keith and pulled out his phone, “before I forget, I need photographic evidence,” and opened the camera, flipping it to front-facing. He grinned while Keith smirked, and took the photo, making sure to get both words fully in the picture. Done, he tucked the phone away, gave Keith a kiss on the cheek, and headed for the coffee machine.

 

“So Keith,” Coran leaned forward, “you’re wearing the naughty shirt. Care to explain why?”

 

Lance froze, Allura groaned, Shiro choked on his coffee (remember his and Keith’s conversation from a couple of months ago? Yeah so does he. Vividly, right now), and Keith?

 

Keith laughed, a full-bellied, hearty laugh, with tears squeezing out of his eyes even. When he calmed down enough to breathe evenly through his chuckles, he regarded Coran with a knowing look, “I don’t think you want to know the answer to that question.”

 

“You don’t,” Shiro added, “you really, really don’t.”

 

Coran waved his hand dismissively, eyes rolling, “as if I’ve never been young and virile, please.” Allura clapped her hands over her ears while Shiro groaned, Keith bit his lips to keep from laughing again, and Lance turned bright red to match the writing on his shirt. “But I will back off, as you say,” he conceded, turning back to his plate, smiling at everyone’s sigh of relief.

 

“Well! That was interesting. Let’s start over. Good morning Lance, I hope you slept well?” Allura smiled brightly at Lance, posture purposely nonchalant.

 

Lance grinned back, grateful for the change of topic, “good morning! Yes, I did. Thank you, and thanks for inviting us.” He finally fixed a cup of coffee for himself, and set it beside Keith’s plate on his way to fix one for himself. There were slightly cold biscuits and bacon, but warm gravy still simmering on the stove. He returned to stand beside Keith with filled plate, and tucked in, “holy Moses. Who made this gravy?”

 

“Shiro’s the cook in this house,” Coran replied with a grin, “Alfor and I tried our hardest, but Allura just doesn’t have the knack for cooking.”

 

“Hey! It’s not for a lack of trying!” Allura grumbled with a pout.

 

Shiro wrapped his arm around Allura’s shoulders and pulled her close to kiss her temple, “of course not, honey. Your cooking is good, too.”

 

Allura smiled, “but yours is the best.”

 

“Between you and Hunk, we could run a very successful full-fledged restaurant, you know,” Coran threw in, to which Shiro and Allura rolled her eyes.

 

“Keep trying old man.”

 

“You bet I will!”

 

While the three bantered, Lance nudged Keith and whispered, “is Alfor Allura’s dad?” At Keith’s solemn nod, he nodded in return and focused back on his plate and his friends, “either way, this is amazing.”

 

“Thanks, Lance,” Shiro smiled.

 

“So what’s on the agenda for today?” Lance asked, being the only ‘new’ person to this tradition.

 

“Movies or games until around eleven, which is in twenty minutes so…” Shiro shrugged, “and then presents, lunch, a walk or a nap, or both, and then we send you guys home with all the leftovers.”

 

Lance nodded, “nice.”

 

“So then, once we’re all finished with breakfast, how about we go ahead with presents?” Keith asked.

 

Allura and Shiro looked at each other. Shiro shrugged, and Allura nodded, “sure, that’s fine.”

 

They finished their breakfasts in relative silence, conversation picking back up only when Keith and Lance were the last two eating. When they finished, there was a round of coffee refills, and then they all made their way into the living room. Shiro situated himself on the floor by the tree while Allura joined Coran on the couch, and Keith sat with Lance on the love seat.

 

“Okay, here’s yours, Keith,” Shiro passed over a gift bag, which Keith hesitantly accepted. 

 

Everyone watched as he carefully untied the bow and pulled out the paper, laying it beside him. When all that was left was the tissue-wrapped gift, he lifted it out, the thin white paper revealing something soft and red inside. “No,” Keith breathed, the bag toppling over and falling to the floor as he turned over the bundle to unwrap it. Once free from the tissue, he lifted the red hoodie for all to see. “Who did this?” he asked as he looked over the decorated sleeves. They were covered in black bar stripes with negative space words. One sleeve said ‘Under’ an the other said ‘Armour.’

 

“Me,” Allura confessed with what Lance could only call a shit-eating grin.

 

Keith gaped, then snapped his mouth shut to glare at her, “Allura, this is double our allowed budget!”

 

Allura waved him off, “I found it on sale months ago, perfectly within budget, and told Shiro not to put your name in the hat.”

 

“You sneaky bitch…” Keith stared back down at the hoodie for a few moments, then raised suspiciously shiny eyes, “thank you.”

 

Noticing Lance’s confusion, Shiro chimed in, “Keith used to have a hoodie just like this. It was the first thing he’d ever bought for himself from money he earned. Someone stole it from his car a year and a half ago.”

 

Lance watched Keith carefully fold the hoodie and set it on the couch’s arm rest, then tucked the tissue back into the bag and tossed it to Allura, who laughed and dropped it to the side of the couch.

 

Shiro picked up another gift, “this one’s for…Allura!” He reached across the coffee table to hand her the small wrapped box.

 

“Hmmm…” Allura wasn’t as careful as Keith. She didn’t rip the paper to shreds, but also didn’t try to preserve it. Under the wrapping was a plain white box. When she lifted the lid, she gasped in surprise, “oh!” She reached into the box and pulled out a long strip of beautiful white leather, capped in gray with little loops on the end. “Is this real leather?” she asked.

 

“Yes it is, and I’ll have you know I even bought it off that Etsy store thing you keep talking about,” Coran replied proudly.

 

Allura pulled Coran into a quick hug, “oh, Uncle Coran! I love it!”

 

Keith and Lance exchanged a confused glance, but Lance bit the bullet, “uh…Allura? What is it?”

 

Allura looked up, then wrapped the strap over the back of her neck with a grin, “it’s a camera strap. Mine’s about on it’s last leg, but it wasn’t real leather like this one.”

 

“Oh, nice,” Lance nodded.

 

“Here Lance, this one’s for you,” Shiro tossed Lance an envelope, which he caught like a frisbee.

 

“I’m gonna take a wild stab and say cash or gift card,” Lance joked, flipping up the flap of the envelope to pull out a…voucher? “Or…not?” He held the card up closer to his face, reading the printed and hand written information, including who it was from. “Shiro…is this, for a tattoo?” he looked over at the slightly blushing Shiro with furrowed brows.

 

“Uh…yeah? You had it on your list…” 

 

Lance blinked, thinking, and then, “oh, I did, didn’t I?” He fanned himself with the voucher for a moment, then stopped to read it again, and shot Shiro an accusing glare, “this is for way more than thirty dollars, Shiro.”

 

“I’m not counting cost of labor,” Shiro airily replied and waved his hand in dismissal.

 

“But…” Lance started, but Keith nudged him quiet.

 

He leaned over to stage whisper in Lance’s ear, “you won’t win, just give up now and say thank you.”

 

Lips pursed, Lance let out a sharp breath through his nose, then squared his shoulders, “thank you, Shiro.”

 

“You’re most welcome, Lance. Here, Coran,” Shiro passed over a slightly larger box, which Coran accepted and immediately ripped the paper off of.

 

“Oh, my…” he seemed to recognize the logo on the front of the box, and looked between Keith and Lance to see if either would reveal who bought it, but their expressions were both suspiciously blank. With a huff he turned back to the box, opening the lid to reveal a small glass bottle and a slightly larger glass jar. “You…” he cleared his throat and started again, “thank you! Which of you was it?” He smiled when Keith raised his hand, closing the lid of the box, “these are my favorites, thank you so much!”

 

“I got lucky,” Keith shrugged, “and Lance knows how to find stuff.”

 

“What was it?” Shiro asked, not in on the gift or close enough to see.

 

“My favorite beard oil and mustache wax. I was getting low on both so I’m very glad to have these,” Coran replied, showing Shiro the logo on the box.

 

“Nice,” Shiro looked under the tree and grabbed the last box, “I guess this last one is for…me! And by process of elimination I know who it’s from.” He grinned at Lance, then focused on unwrapping the box as carefully as Keith did his gift. Lance realized it must have been learned from one of Shiro’s parents. When he got the paper off, he lifted the lid off the box. “Oh, Lance. This is really nice! Please tell me it wasn’t more than budget?” he looked pleadingly at Lance.

 

“Nah, man,” Lance waved him off, “with my Mamá and little sister, I learned how to shop TJ Maxx and places like it. I found that knife at Home Goods, just under budget.”

 

Shiro grinned, “thank you.”

 

 

Lunch was Thanksgiving leftovers sandwiches. Shiro explained that he always froze a good portion of their Thanksgiving leftovers just for this as he pulled the now-thawed items from the fridge and placed them on the counter, opening lids and shoving forks or spoons into the containers. Allura popped a can of cranberry sauce and sliced it up, placing it among the items along with a loaf of sandwich bread, mayo, and mustard. Shiro pulled out plates and glasses, and Allura finished it off with a few cases of sodas.

 

Lance watched as everyone made a sort-of buffet line, building their sandwiches how they liked them and seating themselves at the dining table. He stepped into the back of the line, excited to try this out.

 

When he joined them at the table, he realized they were waiting to eat until he sat down, so he hurried, seating himself with a flush. Keith smiled fondly at him, and they began to eat.

 

 

After lunch, everyone agreed that a walk would be nice, so they got themselves ready and headed out to wander around the neighborhood. The weather was beautiful, the skies clear and the sun shining, and the chill in the air wasn’t harsh enough to bite through their jackets. Keith wore his new hoodie, and held lances hand shoved in the front pocket. 

 

Lance was blushing the entire walk.

 

 

When they returned to the house, true to Shiro’s word, he and Allura packed up all the leftovers (including the thawed Thanksgiving leftovers) into three equal ‘care packages’ while Keith, Lance, and Coran got their things together to go home. Lance tried to protest receiving any food, but Shiro wouldn’t hear of it, following them to Keith’s car and setting the food into the trunk.

 

Their goodbyes were warm, Lance receiving hugs from everyone (even Keith) as if this wasn’t his first Christmas with them. Coran left first, waving as he drove off, then Keith followed with Lance, who watched Shiro and Allura grow smaller from the rear view mirror before disappearing around a corner.

 

 

Back at Lance’s apartment, Keith got out to help him bring his things inside, “do you mind if I stay for a little while? Or should I go home?”

 

“Stay, of course. If you want to,” Lance replied, taking most of his things from Keith any way. So Keith grabbed his own bag and leftovers, locked his car, and followed Lance up and into his apartment.

 

“Honestly I think I’ve been spending more time here than I do at my own place,” he commented, almost absently.

 

“Really?” Lance kicked off his shoes, dropped his overnight and gift bags on the couch, and took his leftovers to the kitchen to store in the fridge.

 

“Mmhmm,” Keith followed Lance’s example, waiting patiently for his turn to put the food away, but Lance merely took it from him and put it on another shelf to keep the packages separate. “I’ve been thinking about your offer, a lot.”

 

Lance stilled, “yeah?” He tried hard to keep the hope out of his voice, but he was pretty sure he failed miserably. He shut the fridge, and turned around when strong arms slid around his waist.

 

Keith hummed an affirmative and brushed his nose against Lance’s, “yeah. I think I have an answer for you.” He smiled as Lance bit his lip, eyes locked together as Keith took his sweet time finishing that thought. Lance’s gaze soon grew worried, so Keith pulled him closer and whispered, “yes,” against his lips.

 

Lane’s heart soared. He grinned and tried to kiss Keith at the same time, which ended up in clacking teeth, a muttered ‘ow,’ and some giggles. He pulled back and tried to school his expression, but couldn’t keep his lips closed long enough for even a brief peck, so he resorted to words, “Keith, I’m so excited I can’t stop grinning to kiss you!”

 

Keith laughed. “I noticed,” he drawled, and chose to instead pepper kisses all over Lance’s face, causing him to giggle even more and squirm in his grasp. When he finished, he pulled back to take in Lance’s flushed face, still grinning and giggling a little, and smirked, “but first, we’ll have to test something.”

 

Lance immediately sobered, “test…something?” He didn’t think he liked the sound of that.

 

“Yes,” Keith replied, all mock seriousness, “we’ve had one successful night’s sleep together, but now we’ll have to see if the results are the same in _your_ bed.”

 

Lance gaped at him for nearly a minute, mouth hanging open slightly. At Keith’s amused stare, he shut his jaw with a click and raised a brow, “If you want to stay the night, just say so,” he replied, false exasperation in his tone. He couldn’t hold the face for long, though, and soon erupted with more giggles that he muffled in Keith’s chest.

 

Keith grinned in reply, holding Lance close as his back shook in mirth. “I always want to stay the night,” he replied, “even if… _especially if_ , all we do is sleep.”

 

Lance’s giggling soon stopped. He lifted his face to Keith, eyes warm and fond as he finally, _finally_ , had it under control enough to press their lips together, arms sliding around Keith’s neck to hold him close. Keith sighed into the kiss, letting it linger just on the far side between chaste and passionate. Soon enough, the kiss took itself farther, their breathing picking up along with their heart rates, as Lance pressed his body flush against Keith’s, who slipped his hands down past the small of Lance’s back to firmly grip his ass and pull him even closer.

 

Lance moaned into Keith’s mouth at the contact, fingers finding and tugging on his hair. Keith regretfully broke the kiss, and leaned forward to rest his forehead on Lance’s shoulder. “Fuck, Lance…” he pulled Lance’s hips close to thrust against him, breath panting against his collar bone. Lance bit his lip, muffling another moan as his hips thrust back, nails scratching Keith’s scalp as his fingers tangled themselves in his hair.

 

“You really are the naughty one,” Lance gasped when Keith’s lips latched onto his neck and sucked, a bruise blooming under his skin. Keith grinned against his skin, moved down to his collar bone, and nipped the skin before sucking another mark there. “Ah! Oh, shit…” He titled his head back to give Keith more room, and his eyes slid over the digital clock on his stove. 3:42. That seemed late for…for what? He was forgetting something. He needed to…call…someone. Who? Call his…family. Family? He tensed and pushed Keith’s shoulders away as he stepped back, “shit! Wait, wait.”

 

Keith dropped his hands and stepped back, despite his frustrated groan. “What-?”

 

Lance sighed, sliding his hands down Keith’s arms to lace their fingers together. “Sorry, I, uh…just remembered, that I was going to call my family, and it’s an hour ahead there so it’s almost five for them, um, so it’s close to dinner time and-“

 

“Lance,” Keith squeezed his hands to get his attention. When Lance cut off to stare guiltily at Keith, he smiled back with understanding. “okay.”

 

Lance blinked, “okay?”

 

“Yeah, well…” Keith huffed and looked off to the side, “maybe in a little bit? I’m kinda…” he looked down at the pretty obvious bulge at the front of his pants, and smirked a bit as he eyed Lance’s too.

 

Lance noticed, and shifted uncomfortably at having his attention brought to how uncomfortable he was at the moment. “Oh, uh, right. Yeah.” He shifted again with a grimace, “um…you can…uh, I’ll go get my laptop set up to FaceTime, if that’s okay?” With Kieth’s nod, he smiled and led go of his hands, “by the time that’s set up and connected, we should be ready.” He left the kitchen, walking into his bedroom to grab his lap top off of his desk. 

 

Keith called out as he walked off, “you might want to change your shirt.” Lance turned to look questioningly at him, and Keith pointed to where he’d sucked the two hickies on his own neck. Lance immediately turned bright red, slapped his hand over the marks, and muttered a quick ‘thanks.’ He turned back to the bedroom listening to Keith’s fond chuckles.

 

Once in his room, he fished his phone out of his pocket to send a text:

 

**Stella Bella & Chuck Norris**

Heads up twins! FaceTime call in 5-10!

 

That means one of you be online and waiting

 

Also, Keith is here, tell Mamá so she’s prepared

 

——

 

That done, he changed his shirt for a turtle neck, stuck his phone back in his pocket, grabbed his lap top, and brought it out to the living room. He was already feeling a little more calm, the distraction helping his pants to feel less tight as well. He didn’t see Keith anywhere, so he figured he’d gone to the bathroom. His pocket buzzed twice on his way over, so he set the lap top on the couch and checked the two messages:

 

**Stella Bella & Chuck Norris**

Stella Bella

Charlie’s getting the iPad, we’ll be ready!

 

Chuck Norris

We’re ready!

 

——

 

Lance sat down in front of the coffee table and put the lap top on it, opening the lid and hitting the power button. It booted up quickly, and he started the FaceTime program. A minute later, Keith was sitting down next to him, looking refreshed and also much less uncomfortable. He was wearing a different shirt. Lance grinned over at him, “go shopping in my closet?”

 

“Uh…yeah. I hope you don’t mind, but I figured a bright red shirt with the word ‘Naughty’ on it wouldn’t make a good impression.”

 

“Oh, shit. You’re right!” Lance chuckled, “it’s fine, I just didn’t notice you going in my room. Ready?”

 

“Ready.”

 

Lance looked back at his lap top, making eye contact with Keith in the camera’s image, and took a deep breath. His mouse pointer hovered over the contact ‘La Familia’, and with another fortifying breath he clicked to initiate the call. It took a few seconds to connect, then they heard the the tinny ringing while they waited for someone on the other end to accept.

 

It took a few rings, but finally it connected, and they saw Lance’s family crowded together at a table, looking at the screen expectantly. What was unexpected, were the huge smiles on all four faces of the people Lance missed so dearly.

 

“¡Hijo!” Rosa exclaimed, eyes shining.

 

“Hola, Mamá,” Lance replied, voice tight. Keith gently rested his hand at the small of Lance’s back, careful to keep his family from seeing the action. Lance’s tense back relaxed a little.

 

“Lance,” Sean said, voice warm, “Merry Christmas.”

 

Rosa, Stella, and Charlie chorused the sentiment, a mix of ‘Merry Christmas!’ and ‘¡Feliz Navidad!’

 

“Merry Christmas,” Lance and Keith said together in reply, and looked at each other. Keith merely raised a brow while Lance broke into a few giggles. They looked back at the computer to see the twins smirking while Rosa and Sean looked slightly uncomfortable. Lance quickly pressed his lips together with a slight blush, aware that this would be hard for them to be comfortable with right away. “So, uh…” he scratched his cheek, “how was your Christmas?”

 

“Less boisterous than usual,” Stella said with a wink, “I kinda liked the more quiet atmosphere.”

 

Lance gaped, then shook his head with a smile, “liar.”

 

Charlie laughed, “yeah, I think she missed you the most really.” Lance floundered a bit, throat tightening. Luckily, Keith noticed and took control of the conversation.

 

“I don’t believe we were properly introduced,” he began, lifting a hand to wave at the family on the screen, “hi, I’m Keith Kogane.”

 

Stella and Charlie wore matching grins, while Sean looked mildly impressed and Rosa looked a bit shocked. Sean nodded, “it’s nice to meet you, Keith. I’m Sean, this is my wife Rosa, and I believe you’ve met Stella and Charlie.”

 

The twins’ grins widened, and said together, “hi, Keith.”

 

Rosa shook herself back into the conversation, and picked up from there, “what do you do, Keith?”

 

Lance and Keith froze, but Keith cleared his throat and said, “my cousin owns Voltron Tattoo two doors down from Altea Bakery, where Lance works. I work for him as one of the Artists.”

 

There was a heavy pause, before Sean nodded, “I see. And are you…independent?”

 

“Yes. I live on my own, pay my own bills, and keep current on my car and health insurance.” Keith sounded like he’s had this conversation before. Lance remembered his and Shiro’s conversation, how he’d been hurt before…and Lance felt warm all over that he was willing to do this again, with him.

 

Sean smiled, having heard what he considered the correct answer, while Rosa nodded. “Is that how you met Lance?” she asked, “from being close to the bakery?”

 

Keith nodded, “one of us goes by every day right after we open to pick up a pastry for each of us. I met Lance one of the days it was my turn.”

 

“I remember Lance saying he dropped a tray of hot pastries, right?” Stella chimed in, and Lance dropped his face into his hands with an embarrassed whimper.

 

“He did,” Keith smiled, “I didn’t see it happen, I was texting Shiro, my cousin, but I heard the crash when it all fell.”

 

“So then,” Sean began, “how did you…?” he waved his hand at the screen between the two of them.

 

Keith’s smile turned a little sentimental as his eyes drifted over to Lance, “I started volunteering to make the pastry run every day I was at the shop. I knew that, even if he wasn’t interested, I at least wanted to be his friend, so…after a while I invited him over to hang out with us since summer was ending and business was starting to slow down. When he finally did,” Keith chose then to nudge Lance’s side. He looked up, saw Keith’s smitten gaze, and blushed crimson…but he couldn’t look away, “I took a chance, and when he admitted to liking me too, asked him to dinner.”

 

“You make it sound much less awkward than it really was,” Lance said quietly.

 

“That’s because you’re super awkward all the time,” Charlie tossed in.

 

Lance let out a laugh, “yeah, that’s true.”

 

“Do you love him?” Rosa asked, voice quiet, but full of restrained emotion.

 

Keith looked at the screen, and almost wished they were doing this face-to-face, “yes.”

 

“Hijo?”

 

Lance bit his lip and murmured, “Sí, Mamá. I do.”

 

Rosa pressed her lips together for a moment, then slowly smiled, “I can see it, now that I’m looking.” She took a shaky breath and looked away, breaking the moment.

 

Lance reeled from the sudden change, but took what positivity she gave as steps in the right direction. Keith’s hand, still on the small of his back, rubbed in soothing circles over his shirt.

 

Sean cleared his throat, “Lance, I can’t promise we will be fully okay with this for…a while.”

 

“Yes, Papá, I know,” Lance replied, a little shaky, eyes starting to fill with tears.

 

“But we want to try, can you be patient with us as we work to soften our hearts?”

 

Lance drew in a shaky breath as those tears began to spill over, “yes, yes of course.”

 

“And you, Keith?” Sean shifted his gaze, “can we ask the same of you?”

 

“Yes,” Keith replied, voice firm. The hand on Lance’s back slid around farther to draw him close. Lance shuffled a bit and rested his cheek on Keith’s shoulder.

 

Sean nodded, while Rosa cleared her throat and brought her gaze back to the screen. A frown flickered across her face, but she quickly smoothed out her features. Sean nodded again, and shifted in his seat, “well, I think we’ll let the twins have some time with you,” he said, “we’ll talk again soon?”

 

Lance’s lips lifted in a small smile, “yeah.”

 

“We love you,” Rosa said, and kissed her fingertips. Lance copied the movement, and waved as they got up and moved away from the screen. Stella and Charlie’s eyes followed them, the pair silent for almost a full minute, before jumping into the vacated seats and smiling at the screen.

 

“So how was _your_ Christmas?” Stella asked, waggling her eyebrows.

 

It was Keith’s turn to blush this time, as Lance immediately sat up with a wicked grin. He pulled his phone out of his pocket, “I’m sending you a picture,” and did just that. He waited, leg bouncing, for Stella to get the text. When she opened the picture, phone held so both could see, she squealed while Charlie groaned.

 

“Please tell me this was your idea,” Stella begged.

 

“Nope, that was all Keith,” Lance chuckled. “Anyway, we went to Shiro and Allura’s house last night with Coran. We all stayed over and did the whole Christmas Thing this morning.”

 

The twins ‘ooo’ed at that, Stella tossing in a wink at them ‘spending the night together’, and Lance rolled his eyes despite feeling the _exact same way_.

 

“So that was Keith’s gift, the shirts?” Charlie asked.

 

“Yeah,” Keith replied when Lance sent him a questioning gaze.

 

“So what did you give him, Lance?”

 

“I, uh…” Lance hedged, “I haven’t given it to him…yet.”

 

“You mean you didn’t get him anything,” Charlie panned.

 

“No! We did a Secret Santa thing at Shiro’s and I didn’t wanna be that guy to get his guy an extra gift, so I was saving it for after we got back. We just happened to call you first.”

 

“Oh my god,” Stella’s eyes grew wide, “you’re not giving him your _virginity_ are you?”

 

Lance pressed his lips together, biting the insides to ward off the scream he knew would come out if he let it. When the moment passed, he managed to croak, “don’t carry that card any more so…” which sent Stella and Charlie into hysterics.

 

While the twins were laughing, Keith tucked his cheek against Lance’s, looking away from the screen, to whisper in his ear, “you still have it for your _other_ virginity.”

 

“Oh my god, Keith!” Lance whined, a bit too loudly, because immediately Stella was nudging Charlie to ‘shut up, will you!?’ as her focus was entirely on Lance.

 

“What did Keith just say?”

 

“Nuh, uh. No way,” Lance shook his head, “I’m not repeating that.”

 

“I will,” Keith offered, and Lance shot him a glare.

 

“Don’t you dare, they are way too young for that.”

 

“Uh…I dunno about you, but I thought about all that kind of stuff when I was sixteen. Hell, when I was fourteen!”

 

“Yeah, but…they’re…ugh you’re right. I’m still not gonna tell them, though.”

 

Keith squeezed Lance close, and leaned toward the lap top as if he were revealing a big secret. Hilariously, Stella and Charlie mimicked the action. Keith stage whispered, “there’s another ‘v’ card he hasn’t lost yet,” and winked.

 

Stella’s eyes went wide for a moment, then understanding clicked and she covered her mouth in shock. It took Charlie another moment, but when it clicked he groaned and put his forehead on the table. Stella recovered quickly, “Lance, I was totally kidding but…you really haven’t, yet?”

 

Lance shot Keith a pleading look, but he pretended not to notice, so Lance sighed and shook his head. “No, we haven’t gone that far yet.”

 

“But…he’s not your first boyfriend.”

 

“First,” Lance held up one finger, “boyfriend does not automatically equal sex. Please tell me you know this, you know not to let boys pressure you into anything you don’t want.” 

“Umm…” Stella looked a bit shocked, and Charlie lifted his head to stare at Lance as well.

 

“Have you learned anything about sex from an adult? Eighteen-year-old High School seniors do not count.”

 

“We had that one sex-ed class,” Charlie offered.

 

“That doesn’t count either. It was an hour of ‘don’t have sex, and here’s all the diseases you can get if you do.’ No…real talk. About safe sex, and consent, and ‘no means no,’ and rape?”

 

“No.”

 

“Fuck,” Lance rubbed his face with both hands, “I’m not doing this over the internet. Promise me, right now, please, that you won’t do _anything_ until you come for your trip, and we have a real talk about all of this.” Keith pressed a kiss to his temple, and he smiled up at him, a bit bewildered.

 

“You’re amazing,” Keith said with a shrug.

 

“We promise,” Stella said, looking a little shocked over Lance’s seriousness.

 

“Good. The one thing I will say now, is this: if _anyone_ , boy or girl, does _anything_ that you do not expressly say ‘yes’ to, it’s wrong, and they can and will get in serious trouble for it. So stand up for yourself, and say ‘no’ if you don’t want to do something.” He received nods from both, and he nodded in return, “good. Now, what were we talking about?”

 

Keith murmured, “I’m not your first boyfriend, but you still have a ‘v’ card?”

 

“Right,” Lance sighed, “yes I’ve had one other boyfriend, but no, I didn’t want to have sex with him. That’s actually why I broke up with him. He was being pushy about getting physical, and I said no. He didn’t like it, so I walked.”

 

“We were there when Becca told Mamá and Papá about it. She said you broke up with him because he was Deaf,” Stella said, her tone curious instead of accusatory.

 

“That’s what she heard from him. He showed up at Epcot and picked a fight with me, out in the open, in Germany. Lots of people saw and heard, and a few other cast members had to come and escort him off property. He claimed that’s why I left him, and tried to get me in trouble at work for ‘discrimination.’ Unfortunately, Becca was one of the many, many people who saw it. I wouldn’t be surprised if it got posted on Facebook or YouTube.”

 

“What a dick,” Charlie muttered.

 

“Exactly.”

 

“Okay, so why haven’t you with Keith? You love him, right?” Stella pushed.

 

“Yeah, I do. And we’re getting there. Sometimes it takes a while to get comfortable with new things. I’m learning this as I go, and Keith is being really patient, letting me set the pace so I don’t feel forced and end up regretting doing something I wasn’t ready for.”

 

“Oh, man,” Charlie muttered, “why are people not taught these things?”

 

Lance shrugged, “I don’t know, but I agree with you. It’s really stupid to be in the dark, especially about consent.”

“No, I mean,” Charlie flushed, “my friends…they all joke about how easily they can convince whatever girl they’re going out with to do stuff for them, like…like it’s normal. It always made me feel…kinda weird? And I’ve never done any of that! But…it’s not normal. It’s…it’s wrong.”

 

“You’ll teach them,” Lance replied, “you’re strong, and now that you know better, you won’t stand for it. Go ahead and do some research, just double check that you’re still protected from dad’s spying first.”

 

Charlie nodded, face grave, then decided to change the subject, “so what did you guys get each other for that Secret Santa stuff?”

 

They talked for nearly another hour, until Sean and Rosa came back to tell Stella and Charlie it was time for dinner. They said their goodbyes, in much better spirits, and ended the call. When the screen went back to showing only their own image, Lance closed the window and shut his laptop. “Wow.”

 

“Yeah. You were great, by the way,” Keith nuzzled gently behind Lance’s ear.

 

“Hmm?”

 

“With the whole sex thing, it scared me too when Stella seemed to think that boyfriend meant sex.”

 

“Oh, god. I’m both mortified we’re going to have that conversation at some point, but also glad I found out that they need to learn it. I didn’t, but I knew enough to stand up for myself. Did you see Stella’s face? She had no idea. I might be having a talk with Mamá about that soon too.”

 

“That’ll just make her feel guilty,” Keith chided, “talking with Stella and Charlie is enough.”

 

“Yeah.” 

 

“So,” Keith’s nose was still pressed behind Lance’s ear, and he nudged against the tender spot there, “what did you get me for Christmas?”

 

Lance hunched his shoulders, cheeks turning red, “um…nothing big, or much, just…well lemme go get it.” He shuffled away from Keith a little before standing up and stretching. He grabbed the laptop, taking it back to his room and setting it on the desk before opening one of its drawers to pull out a small wrapped box. He came back to the living room to find Keith sprawled on the couch and smiled. He sat down beside him and held out the box in his palm, “here you go.”

 

Keith gently picked up the little box, and unwrapped it just as carefully as he did Allura’s gift to him this morning. Once fully unwrapped, he set the paper on the end table beside him and lifted off the lid. Inside, nestled in crinkled tissue paper, was a braided leather bracelet, the same dark color and texture of the thongs that held the dog tags he wore every day. Without a word, he picked it up and wrapped it around his right wrist, securing it with the heavy snaps at the ends. It fit perfectly, not so loose that it flopped around his wrist, just tight enough to stay put.

 

“Oh thank goodness, it fits,” Lance breathed, pleased.

 

Keith leaned forward, pressing a kiss to the corner of Lance’s mouth. “Thank you,” he murmured before tilting his head to kiss Lance properly, hands raising up to cup his cheeks. Lance didn’t hesitate to reciprocate, fingers gripping his, _his own_ shirt on Keith to pull him closer. The fire they’d banked earlier quickly flared up again, and soon Lance and Keith were panting into each others mouths as their kisses turned wet and sloppy. “No interruptions,” Keith demanded, hands sliding down to firmly grip Lance’s waist and bring him over his lap. 

 

With a quiet moan, Lance helped Keith get him straddled over his hips. “No interruptions,” he repeated with finality and resumed their kisses with vigor. Keith’s hands were pulling Lance down, bringing their erections in contact through their jeans. Keith moaned, and Lance gasped, head tilting back at the sensation. “Uh, uh…bed, bed now,” Lance mumbled, already trying to untangle himself from Keith.

“Yeah.” Keith helped, getting Lance vertical and steady before moving to stand up as well. Lance grabbed Keith’s hand and _pulled_ him into the bed room, stopping only to stare at the towel laying so innocently folded up next to his pillow.

 

“Had plans, did we?” Lance teased, and Keith blushed. They stumbled to the bed, and Lance fell back, pulling Keith down with him. They lay there, Keith hovering over Lance, panting, careful not to touch, and Lance smirked. “What plans were you thinking of?”

 

Chest heaving, Keith took a moment to gather himself before answering, “whatever you want.”

 

Lance shook his head, “no, no. I’m Nice, remember? Tell me what you were thinking. I’ll veto it if I don’t like it, you know that.”

 

Keith, exasperated, rolled his eyes, but he also pulled down the collar of Lance’s turtle neck to add a third bruise to his small collection of hickeys, “I was thinking,” kiss, kiss, bite, “I want to finger you again,” kiss, bite, kiss, “and maybe,” bite, kiss, “add in sucking you off.” He finished his suggestion with another hickey, sucked right under Lance’s jaw.

 

If Lance hadn’t been horny yet, he was nearly ready to burst now. What with the special oral attention, and the numerous hickies and love bites he’d have to hide somehow, and the suggestion Keith murmured against his skin, their only contact, Lance needed their “clothes off, now, before I explode.” Keith immediately complied, revealing his eagerness as well, and soon they were both fully naked. Keith grabbed the towel and spread it across the bed, making sure to keep Lance’s ass right in the middle. He saw the lube was where he’d left it on the night stand, and reached over to grab it before settling back down. Now he was between Lance’s parted legs, and he wasted no time in gently caressing his inner thighs. Lance shivered, and squeezed the base of his cock, “fuck, Keith…”

 

“Shh…I know,” Keith soothed, opening the lube to spread the gel over his fingers, “just a minute.” As he waited for the lube to warm up from his skin, he peppered kisses down one thigh and over Lance’s abdomen, purposely skirting around his leaking cock. Lance whimpered, and Keith took pity on him. He slid his lubed fingers down the length of Lance’s cock, over his balls, and between his cheeks in search of their prize. Lance moaned, mouth handing open, as he spread his legs farther, knees tilting out to expose more of himself. Keith accepted the silent invitation, and pressed one finger against his hole. He didn’t push in yet, first just rubbing in circles to relax the muscle as much as he could. Unlike last time, Lance didn’t tense at all, and sooner than Keith expected his entrance was almost sucking his finger in, and who was he to refuse that? So he pressed in slowly, gently, and smiled at the desperate sound Lance made, a cross between a moan and a shout. Keith’s finger slid in and out, probing, stretching, and again sooner than expected, Lance’s body was ready for more.

 

“A-ah! Keith…oh god, please…” Lance’s head thrashed from side to side, hips tilted up, cock twitching. Keith worked in the second finger and immediately searched for Lance’s prostate, which also didn’t take quite as long. As soon as his fingertips brushed against the gland, Lance was arching up off the bed, loud cry bursting from his mouth, head thrown back, hands fisted in the towel under them, “fuck, fuck, right there, yes…oh f-ff-fuck!” His ass clenched down on Keith’s fingers, _hard_ , and his cock jumped up, slapping back down onto his abdomen. Keith wasted no time, lifting Lance’s cock with his free hand and swallowing him down almost all the way as his fingers continued their assault on Lance’s prostate. Keith swallowed around his cock twice, and with one more rub on that spot, Lance came. His whole body shuddered at the intensity of such a fast orgasm, his cock throbbing with each pulse of cum Keith swallowed, his ass clenching the fingers that were still rubbing his prostate, milking every last drop his cock was willing to give. When there was nothing left, Keith gently removed his fingers first, then lifted off his cock to look up at Lance’s wrecked face. “Ohhh…ffffuuuuck….” Lance moaned, face flushed, hair already sweaty, body sated and completely limp.

 

Keith bit his lip and sat up, showing Lance his still hard and leaking cock. “Do you mind if I…?” He made a circle with his hand and mimed the ‘jerking off’ gesture. 

 

Lance shook his head, “go ahead.”

 

Keith shuffled forward, pressing his thighs to Lance’s, amused to see Lance’s gaze zeroed in on his cock. He took it in a loose fist at first, drawing back to reveal the head, then gripped more firmly and began to stroke himself. He pace few fast quickly, he’d been riding the edge since he put his mouth on Lance’s cock, and it didn’t take long for him to throw his head back and come all over Lance with a choked-off shout, “Lance-! Agh!” He kept pumping, drawing out the sensation and coaxing every last drop that he could out of his cock. When he finally began to shiver from overstimulation, he slowed down and then stopped, letting go of his cock and wiping his hand on the towel under Lance, who had already pulled one corner over him to wipe up the mess. “Damn…” Keith breathed, and Lance grunted in agreement. Once Lance had wiped up as much as he could, Keith laid down beside him, snuggling into his side and pressing kisses to his shoulder and neck, “shower in a minute?”

 

Lance yawned, “ugh, yeah. I better get up now, I was almost asleep.” Keith shuffled off the bed, pulling Lance up with him. They leaned on each other as they went to the bathroom. Keith got the shower going while Lance made sure there were enough towels. “I’m gonna have to wash a load of towels tomorrow just form you visiting,” he grumbled.

 

“Good thing your apartment has its own laundry,” Keith commented.

 

“True.”

 

They showered quickly, and then Keith watched with amusement as Lance went through his nightly routine. “You really do all this, every night?”

 

“Yes. How do you think I keep my skin this fabulous?”

 

“Good genes?”

 

“Hah. Maybe for you. I had acne bad in middle school. I was fortunate enough to get it under control before it could scar.”

 

Once Lance finished, Keith brushed his teeth and his hair, much to Lance’s disgust, and they went back to the bed room. Lance first dug out a clean pair of underwear, then rummaged through his drawers for pajamas. When Keith wrapped his arms around him and pressed against his back, though, he stilled. “Hmm?”

 

“Do you always wear pajamas to bed?” Keith murmured against his back.

 

“Uh…most of the time? Why?”

 

“Wanna feel your skin.”

 

Lance knew his entire torso much have turned red at that, but he simply answered with, “okay,” and shut the drawer he was looking in. He felt Keith’s smile against his back before he let go and got under the covers. Lance followed, his own mouth stuck in a smile, and joined him after turning out the lights. This time neither one hesitated, both reached for each other and pulled each other close. They shared a few not-quite-chaste kisses, and then Lance scooted down again and snuggled against Keith’s chest. “G’night, Keith.”

 

“Night.”

 

“Love you.”

 

Keith smiled, he couldn’t imagine ever getting used to hearing that, “I love you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you, thank you! For reading, giving kudos, commenting, subscribing, reblogging on tumblr, everything!
> 
> Keep it coming, it's giving me life ;)
> 
> Come see what I'm obsessing over on [tumblr](http://krysblack.tumblr.com)!
> 
> <3<3


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The day after Christmas to New Years Day. Jealous Keith, morning fun, a little more angst, and a surprise at the end!

Keith spent the next day helping Lance put away all the Christmas decorations. 

 

Okay, he did a couple loads of laundry, too. Especially sheets and towels.

 

Lance whined when Keith announced he needed to go home, earning him an exasperated but fond huff, and five more minutes of couch cuddling and kisses.

 

And five more. And another ten. When he asked for fifteen, Keith laughed, “I know what you’re doing, but I have my own chores to do before work tomorrow.”

 

Lance sighed, “fine, fine. Leave me all alone.” He giggled at Keith’s expression, torn between rolling his eyes and actual concern. Keith ended up rolling his eyes as he stood up, pulling Lance up with him when he wouldn’t let go.

 

Lance pulled Keith into another kiss just before he stepped out the open door, this one steamier than any other kisses they’d shared that day. Keith groaned, pulling Lance flush to grope his ass. He broke the kiss to trail his lips over Lance’s cheek and nip at his ear, “I know what you’re trying to do.”

 

“Can’t blame me for trying,” Lance gasped, pressing closer to Keith as he buried his fingers in his unruly black hair. 

 

Keith buried his face in Lance’s shoulder, muffling another groan. He gripped Lance’s hips and gently but firmly pushed him away, “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

 

Lance sighed and lifted Keith’s face to press one more kiss to his lips. “I love you,” he murmured against Keith’s mouth.

 

Keith hummed, stepping back and over the threshold, “love you.” He pulled the door closed as he left, tossing Lance a small but sincere smile.

 

Lance ruffled his own hair, tilting his head back and taking a deep breath. At this point, February couldn’t come soon enough.

 

****

 

The week flew by, and suddenly it was New Year’s Eve, on a Sunday night no less. The city always hosted a big New Year’s Eve party at the Landing, and many of the restaurants and shops stayed open late to join in the celebrating. Voltron Tattoo was, of course, normally open those hours, and would be open during the party as well. 

 

Coran chose to keep the Bakery closed that night, he’d never garnered enough interest from his customers to find a reason to be open, so Lance volunteered to help at Voltron, since they usually had more work than they could keep up with that night. He stayed at the Bakery after closing to take a nap (unwilling to give up his parking space, or fight the traffic to get back in), and headed over to Voltron Tattoo at 6, when the local running shop hosted their 5K Glow Run and the shop would be mostly dead.

 

Lance knocked on the back door, and only had to wait a minute to be let in by Shiro, “hey, Lance! Thanks again for helping out.”

 

“Sure thing!” Lance smiled up at Shiro as he stepped back to let Lance in. “My boyfriend’s working so I don’t have plans anyway,” he teased.

 

Shiro laughed, “that’s a bummer!” He followed Lance to the front of the shop, which was fortunately empty at the moment.

 

“Where’s Allura tonight?”

 

“Seaside. She does a benefit every year for the Wounded Warrior Foundation by hosting a fashion show on the beach out there.”

 

“That’s really cool! Does she know someone who-?” Shiro raised his prosthetic hand and waved it a little. Lance blushed, “oh, sorry. I, um…didn’t want to pry so I never asked but…”

 

“It’s okay, Lance. I actually really appreciated that you didn’t try to find out without getting to know me first,” Shiro slung an arm over his shoulder, steering him toward the desk, “we’ll talk about it another day, when it’s not gonna be so busy.”

 

Lance nodded, “you don’t have to.”

 

Shiro smiled, “I know, that’s why I don’t mind telling you.” He pulled out the chair and pointed at the iPad laying on the desk, “I’m gonna have you manning the desk mostly. There’s no appointments, all our business tonight is gonna be walk-ins.” He unlocked the iPad and opened the Square app, “so, all the tattoo options are on here, just tap the one each customer wants. They can look through the options in that folder,” he pointed at a red folder sitting next to the iPad, “there’s no custom work tonight, and no requesting an artist. Everything is first-come, first serve. Have each person sign-in on the clip board, and call them up to pay first. Their receipt will tell us which tattoo they’ve chosen.”

 

“How do I take payments?” Lance asked.

 

Shiro pulled a key from his pocket and handed it to Lance, “that’s the cash drawer. Here,” he pointed to the drawer under the center of the desk, “or they can swipe on this little thing,” he pointed to the square magstripe reader sticking out of the iPad’s audio jack. “When they sign to pay, they’ll have the option to add tips and have electronic receipts sent to their text or email. If asked, that’s all optional, but the printed receipts are their proof to us that they paid, or we won’t tattoo them. Oh! And everyone gets carded. No ID, no ink.” Shiro pursed his lips, tapping the desk with his pointer finger, “any questions? I think I covered everything.”

 

Lance shook his head, “not at the moment. If I think of one, I’ll ask.”

 

“Don’t hesitate. I’d rather you ask me a hundred questions than assume something that I’ll have to fix later,” Shiro patted Lance on the shoulder and locked the iPad. “Keith and Pidge should be back soon, they went to grab us dinner from Burrito Del Sol while everyone’s at the Glow Run.”

 

“Oh, nice! That’s one of my favorites,” Lance grinned, sitting down at the desk while Shiro sprawled on the couch close by.

 

“That’s what Keith said,” Shiro grinned back, and chuckled when Lance blushed, “he told me he’s going to move in with you when his lease runs out.”

 

“Uh…yeah,” Lance thought his face was going to catch fire! “In, um, February.”

 

Shiro hummed, “he told me your parents are working on accepting you as well.” Lance nodded. “That’s…huge. I’m so glad to hear that.”

 

“Me too. It was…really surprising honestly, but probably the best Christmas present I’ll ever get.”

 

“I’m sure Stella and Charlie had nothing to do with it, right?”

 

“Absolutely not,” Lance laughed, “they never meddle in anything!”

 

“Do you think you’ll go back to Orlando? If they ask you to?” Shiro’s tone was casual, but Lance saw how he focused on his hands, how his flesh hand fiddled with his prosthetic fingers.

 

“Not unless, heaven forbid, Keith and I break up, or he decides we should move there together, neither of which are things I’m planning to think about, or do. I like it here.” Lance smiled as Shiro seemed to melt into the couch with a sigh of relief, but didn’t comment. Just then, he saw Keith and Pidge walk into view of the windows and grinned. Keith grabbed the door, and they brought in the delicious smell of the restaurant’s self-proclaimed ‘Florida-Mex’.

 

“Hey, babe,” Keith greeted Lance, bending forward to give him a kiss, which he turned into a heated smooch when Pidge started making gagging noises.

 

“Hi,” Lance replied, breathless, after Keith broke the kiss. Keith tilted his head toward the kitchen and wandered off. “Hi, Pidge,” he said as they walked by, their face twisted in an exaggerated grimace.

 

“Do I have to see that all night? Because I might actually be sick,” they muttered. Lance merely laughed as he and Shiro got up to follow them to the kitchen.

 

Keith was digging through his bag when they all filed in, “okay so I have…Shiro’s burrito and Lance’s nachos.” He put the two items on the table, along with a small bag of chips and a little container of salsa. 

 

Pidge set out theirs and Keith’s tacos, also with chips and salsa. “We’re gonna have to eat fast, people will be starting to come in around seven fifteen.” They all sat down and tucked in, saving conversation for another time in favor of finishing their meals before they became too busy to even think.

 

——

 

On trend with previous years, according to Keith, the place was crazy crowded. Lance had heard at least thirty times in just the first hour that this was the cheapest Voltron ever charged for tattoos. After the first four clients, he’d gotten the hang of ringing them up and taking their payments. 

 

There were a few disgruntled people who wanted custom work or to request a specific artist, despite the sign on the door, the window, and the desk. Some insisted on arguing, and Lance didn’t hesitate to offer then an appointment on a later date. One did, the rest merely walked out, pissed. Lance apologized for the lost business when Keith came out to check on him two hours in.

 

“Don’t worry about it. If they’re like that tonight, we don’t want their business anyway.”

 

Lance didn’t feel so bad after that when it continued to happen through the night.

 

Toward the end of the night, things started slowing down enough that the people left waiting could sit on the couches or the few folding chairs Shiro had set out around the place. One of the waiting clients, Lance thought she might have been the second-to-last, or possibly last one, pulled her folding chair right next to the desk and propped her chin in her hand. Lance was playing on his phone, since all three artists were busy with clients and he didn’t have people asking him questions.

 

“Do you have any tattoos?” the young woman asked, a playful smile on her face.

 

Lance looked up, not noticing her blatant flirting, and scratched the back of his neck, “not yet. Shiro gave me a voucher for one for Christmas, but I haven’t had time to think of what I want to get yet.”

 

“Oh, so you don’t work here?” she shifted her hand, putting her cheek in her palm and leaning forward a little more.

 

“No, I work at Altea Bakery two doors down. I volunteered to help so Pidge could do tattoos too this year.” Lance leaned back in his chair, stretching his arms above his head and rolling his shoulders. The girl nearly fell out of her chair. “Woah! Are you okay?”

 

“Yeah, yeah…I’m great,” she smiled, dark eyes shining as a light blush dusted her cheeks.

 

Pidge’s client walked by, and Lance wished her a good night as she left. He grabbed the clip board, reading the next name, “Karen?”

 

The girl sitting at the desk fell quiet as Lance rang up Karen’s chosen design and took her payment. The receipt printed automatically. Lance tore it off the printer and handed it to the woman, “there you go, Pidge will take good care of you.”

 

“Thank you,” Karen turned and looked around, finding Pidge waving her over from their station.

 

Keith caught Lance’s eye. He smiled, but Keith only gave him a strange look back before focusing back on his client.

 

Lance blinked, curious to know what was wrong, and turned back to the desk with a frown. He noticed now that he’d felt Keith’s eyes on him for a while now, and the itch on the back of his neck was back.

 

“What’s wrong?” the young woman asked.

 

“Hm? Oh, it’s probably nothing.”

 

“Wanna talk about it?”

 

Lance gave her a strange look, “uh…no, not really.” He focused on the iPad in front of him, making sure the transaction was completed before closing out the tab.

 

“Okay,” she scooted his chair a little closer, “so are you from around here?”

 

“Nah. I moved from Orlando in April. What about you?”

 

“I was. Came to visit family for the holidays.”

 

“Nice.”

 

Shiro finished with his client, and Lance excused himself to call up, “Josh?” A guy sitting on one of the couches got up and walked over to the desk. Lance rang him up and directed him to Shiro’s station.

 

“Well I’m here for a few more days, maybe we could get some coffee? Or I can stop by the bakery and get to know you a little while you’re on break?” she leaned even closer, and Lance felt that strange itch again.

 

He looked back to see Keith stealing glances his way. His brow was furrowed and his mouth pinched. He was pissed, and Lance was beginning to understand why. He looked back at the young woman, who was practically in his face now, and rolled his chair back a good two feet. “Um, no thanks,” he said, taken by surprise.

 

“Um, okay. Could I get your number, then? I live in Mobile so I’m back in town often and…”

 

“I’m sorry, I should have been more clear,” Lance replied, “I’m already in a relationship.” He jerked his thumb over his shoulder at Keith. The girl looked over, and she paled, eyes going wide. Lance turned to look, and saw Keith glaring daggers at her. Lance broke into a wide grin and blew Keith a kiss. Keith paused, eyes flicking between Lance and the girl beside him, still frowning. Lance rolled his eyes and shook his head. Keith’s brow smoothed out, but his frown remained. His eyes lingered on Lance for another moment, then turned back to finish cleaning up his client’s piece.

 

“Sorry. I didn’t know,” she murmured, “please tell me I’m not next, your boyfriend might just kill me.”

 

Lance grabbed the clip board, “what’s your name?”

 

“Um, Zoe.”

 

“Nice to meet you, I’m Lance.” He found her name, and it was indeed next on the list. “I’ll attend your funeral,” Lance teased.

 

“Oh, fuck me,” Zoe moaned, pointedly scooting her chair to the other side of the desk.

 

Lance marked off her name and rewrote it under the next and now formerly last name. When Keith’s client thanked them and left, Lance called out, “Julie!” As he rung Julie up, Zoe lowered her head and played with her phone. As the receipt began to print, Keith was suddenly there. Lance looked up at him, “hey baby.”

 

“Everything ok?” Keith asked, voice carefully neutral. His gaze, though, was as deadly as ever and focused on poor Zoe.

 

“Yup! Two left,” Lance nudged Keith’s thigh to get his attention. Keith looked down at him, his glare turning into hurt. Lance blinked, a bit shocked. He raised his hand, making the ‘I love you’ sign with what he hoped was an encouraging smile. Either way, it worked. Keith’s hurt dimmed and he smiled back a little. Lance ripped the receipt and handed it to him, then looked at Julie, “Keith’s the best, but I am a little biased.” Julie grinned, and let Keith lead her to his station.

 

“I hope I didn’t make things bad for you,” Zoe murmured, eyes still glued on her phone.

 

Lance shook his head, even though he knew Zoe wouldn’t see, “it’s okay. I’m used to keeping it to myself. I forget sometimes how open people are around here. Plus it’s been super busy tonight.” He closed out Julie’s ticket, and started a new one for Zoe. “While you’re waiting, since you’re the last one, let’s go ahead and get your tattoo picked out.”

 

Lance helped her choose a design (she picked one that Keith drew, but Lance didn’t say anything), rang her up, and swiped her card. Zoe signed the iPad, and Lance handed over her receipt when it printed. Right on time, Shiro’s client got up to leave. Lance told Zoe to wait for Shiro to call her over, then went to the door to turn off the ‘open’ sign. He tidied up the desk, locked the cash drawer, and took his coffee cup to the kitchen to wash. When he was finished, he came back out to see Zoe sitting with Shiro and Pidge sending their last client off.

 

Lance walked over to help Pidge clean their station, and they shot him a glare. Lance sighed, “what?”

 

“Dude, you’re fucked.”

 

Lance let out a quiet groan and leaned closer to them, “I had no idea she was flirting with me,” he whispered, “and I shot her down the minute I figured it out.”

 

Pidge knew Lance well enough to tell when he was lying (he was, admittedly, pretty terrible at it), and nodded, “okay.” They finished cleaning in silence, then Pidge announced, “I’m beat. See you guys Tuesday.”

 

“Night, Pidge,” Shiro called without looking up. Keith merely grunted.

 

Pidge gave Lance a significant look, “talk it out before you go home, or it’ll get worse.”

 

“Thanks, Pidge,” Lance replied, heart hammering in his chest. Pidge lightly punched his shoulder and left.

 

About five minutes later, Keith finished up with his last client and walked her to the door, locking it after they left. Without a word, Lance helped Keith clean up. When they finished, Keith tilted his head toward the back and Lance nodded, following him into the kitchen.

 

“Are you okay?” Lance asked, careful to stand close but also keep a little distance, hands hanging by his sides.

 

Keith took a deep breath, “not really.” He crossed his arms, his hunched shoulders telling Lance he felt insecure.

 

“Baby,” Lance breathed. He took a step closer, and wrapped his arms around Keith’s back when he laid his head on Lance’s shoulder, “the minute I realized she was trying to ask me out I shut her down and pointed you out.”

 

Keith huddled closer, but still had his arms crossed, “okay.” His voice was small, quiet, a little sad.

 

“No. Keith,” Lance hugged him closer, “I would never, _never_ flirt with someone else, _ever_. I’m with _you_ , I love _you.”_ He rested his cheek on Keith’s head, “I’m sorry I made you feel like this.”

 

“You didn’t make me feel anything,” Keith replied, voice muffled in Lance’s shirt, “I know that much. It’s my own insecurities trying to pull me back down, and when they do I get angry. I almost tossed my gun down and decked that girl.”

 

“Then it’s a good thing I switched her with that other girl,” Lance commented. Keith looked up at him then, one eye brow raised in question. Lance chuckled, “she was so scared of you! Man, if looks could kill…” That put a small smile on Keith’s face, and Lance smiled back, “she felt really bad about it, too.”

 

Keith sighed, dropping his head back onto Lance’s shoulder, “now I feel bad.”

 

“Uh, uh. No, sir,” Lance cupped his palms over Keith’s cheeks to lift his head and look in his eyes, “no feeling bad. I didn’t realize she was flirting, or I would have shut her down immediately. She didn’t know I was taken, or she wouldn’t have flirted in the first place. And honestly, it made me feel safe. Knowing you’re looking out for me.” He pulled Keith into a quick, chaste kiss. Keith immediately wrapped his arms around Lance’s waist, holding him close and extending the kiss.

 

When they separated, Keith looked relieved, “so you’re not mad at me for getting jealous?”

 

Lance laughed, “no, I’m not mad. C’mon, let’s go back out there. That poor girl was afraid she messed up our relationship. I wanna let her know it’s okay.”

 

“Yeah, okay,” Keith gave Lance one more kiss, then took his hand and followed him back out into the front.

 

Shiro was just finishing up with Zoe, who immediately looked toward Lance and Keith when they came back out. Her eyes focused on their joined hands, and smiled with relief when Lance waved and Keith gave her a small nod. She waved back with her free hand.

 

“I don’t know how to close out your day on that Square thing,” Lance said, pulling Keith toward the desk.

 

Keith followed, “oh, yeah. It’s easy.” He sat down in the chair, and was about to pull up to the desk when Lance set himself on his lap. Keith looked up at his coy smile, and smiled back, “I take it you want me to show you?”

 

“Mm hmm.”

 

Lance watched as Keith showed him how to close the day on the Square app, which was easier than Lance had anticipated. When they finished, Lance realized Zoe was waiting by the desk. He nudged Keith to get his attention. “Do you like your new piece?” Lance asked.

 

“Oh, yes. Shiro did a great job,” Zoe smiled. “I just…wanted to apologize,” she turned to Keith, “I’m sorry, I wasn’t trying to take Lance away from you.”

 

“It’s okay,” Keith replied, though the arm he had around Lance tightened a little, “I can’t blame you, he’s pretty amazing.”

 

Zoe let out the breath she’d been holding and smiled again, “I can tell. Congratulations.”

 

“Thank you,” Keith replied, and Lance waved as she left, Shiro locking the door behind her.

 

“That was really nice of her,” Shiro commented as he picked up the iPad to check that the day was closed out properly.

 

“Yeah,” Keith replied, hugging Lance close. Lance wrapped his arms around Keith in return.

 

“Before you get lost in your cuddling, count the drawer for me,” Shiro teased, sitting down on the couch with the iPad.

 

“What are you doing? Playing a game?” Keith shot back with a smirk.

 

Shiro laughed, “no, I’m putting the register back to normal for Tuesday.”

 

Keith hummed while Lance unlocked the cash drawer. They counted the money together, leaving what they’d started the day with and putting the rest in the bank bag found in another drawer. They checked the cash amount with what was recorded on Square, and Lance was relieved to know that the numbers matched. Shiro turned off the iPad and handed it to Keith to put away, and Lance locked the cash drawer before giving the key back to Shiro. They ended the night with Keith wiping down all the stations one more time, Lance sweeping the floors, and Shiro cleaning the windows and putting away the New Year’s Eve special signs.

 

They walked out back together, Lance relieved to find most of the people and cars already gone. Shiro got on his bike and looked over to Keith and Lance before he put his helmet on, “drive safe, see you Tuesday.”

 

“Bye Shiro.”

 

“Later, bro.”

 

Shiro nodded, put on his helmet, and left.

 

“Is the Bakery closed tomorrow, too?” Keith asked, sliding his arm around Lance’s waist.

 

“Oh, yeah, or I wouldn’t have been able to come help out tonight,” Lance leaned into Keith’s side, arm sliding up his back to rest across his shoulders.

 

Keith hummed, his cold nose pressing up under Lance’s jaw. Lance chuckled, holding Keith a little closer as their free hands found each other and laced their fingers together. Lance his a kiss in Keith’s hair and teasingly asked, “what, you wanna spend the night again?”

 

“I packed a bag just in case,” Keith admitted without shame.

 

Lance laughed, “as long as you’re not expecting anything. I’m going straight to bed.”

 

Keith nuzzled his head closer to Lance’s neck, “all I expect is cuddles in bed, promise.”

 

“Good.”

 

****

 

Lance woke up later that day with Keith pressed up to his back, and something hard rubbing against his ass. He paused, letting go of the panic that immediately gripped him, and hummed when Keith snuggled closer, face pressing between his shoulder blades. Keith’s hips moved closer as well, cock nestling between his ass cheeks through their underwear as he sleepily thrust up against him. Lance’s heart rate picked up. His own cock, which was half-hard already, hardened fully just from the feel of Keith’s cock on his ass, and the thought of him actually doing…that. 

 

_Well, then_.

 

Lance shifted, pressed his ass back against Keith’s cock as he found Keith’s hand and laced their fingers together. It didn’t take long for the extra stimulation to wake Keith up, especially when Lance was dragging Keith’s hand down his naked torso to place his palm on his own hard cock.

 

Keith froze, then raised his head as Lance turned his face, and they looked at each other. Keith was still half asleep, and therefore confused, but he woke up fully when Lance rubbed Keith’s cock with his ass while he pressed Keith’s hand against his dick. Keith moaned, burying his face into the crook of Lance’s neck as he picked up the pace of his hips and began rubbing Lance’s cock through his briefs.

 

“Fuck, Lance,” Keith gasped, and slipped his hand under Lance’s waistband to jerk him off properly.

 

It was Lance’s turn to moan, and his hips stuttered, torn between rubbing back onto Keith’s dick or forward into Keith’s hand. Keith took the decision away from him as he thrust forward with his hips while pumping his hand down Lance’s cock. “Oh, shit…ah, Keith,” Lance shivered at the sensations, his noise picking up as Keith picked up his pace. Soon they were panting and sweating, writhing together under the covers until Lance stiffened with a deep groan, hot cum spilling into his briefs and over Keith’s fingers. Keith wasn’t far behind, humping Lance’s ass quickly and coming with a satisfied grunt. They laid there, boneless, breathing heavy, until Lance giggled.

 

“Good morning,” he said cheekily.

 

“‘Morning,” Keith mumbled back, face still tucked tight into the crook of Lance’s neck. Lance could feel the heat radiating off Keith’s face, and pictured how red he must be.

 

“That was fun, but now I feel super gross.” Lance gently extracted Keith’s hand from his briefs and scootched forward a little to turn over and face him. It took a moment for Keith to make eye contact, but when he did Lance smiled, “hey.”

 

Keith’s lips twitched in an aborted return smile, “hi.”

 

Lance giggled again, noticing Keith was holding his hand away from the sheets to keep them clean, and leaned forward to kiss his cheek, “c’mon, let’s go shower.”

 

Keith immediately perked up, following Lance out of bed and into the bathroom, “you’re not mad?”

 

“Mad? What for?” Lance asked as he turned on the shower, then stripped out of his briefs with a grimace.

 

“I woke up humping your ass.”

 

“I woke you up with your hand on my dick, so…”

 

“Uh…true.” Keith took his boxers off, balling up the fabric before dumping it on the floor on top of Lance’s briefs.

 

“Besides, you were asleep. It’s not like you were trying to force me into anything. If I didn’t like it, I would have moved, or elbowed you in the side.” Lance stepped into the shower, holding the curtain open for Keith to join him.

 

With a grin, Keith hopped in as well, “okay, you got me there.” He leaned in to give Lance a kiss, but Lance turned his head so Keith got his cheek instead, “hey.”

 

“Uh, uh. Not until I brush my teeth,” Lance replied.

 

“But we both have morning breath.”

 

“Double gross.”

 

Sigh. “Fine.”

 

Having just fooled around, they showered quickly and got ready for a lazy day. Lance made them breakfast, fried eggs with avocado, and Keith did the dishes. Afterward, they snuggled on the couch and discussed the logistics of Keith moving in.

 

“You know, I’ve never actually been to your apartment,” Lance commented.

 

“You’re not missing much, trust me. You’ll see it when you help me move.”

 

“Well, what are you wanting to bring over, outside of your clothes and personal stuff.”

 

Keith hummed, “I don’t actually own any of my furniture. It came with the apartment.”

 

“Well that makes things easier..”

 

“And what little I do have isn’t that great. I do have a few dishes that were my mom’s. My uncle kept a bunch of her heirloom stuff for me. He still has most of it, but I took a few pieces with me that I remember her using a lot. Otherwise it’s just…yeah my clothes and stuff.”

 

Lance snuggled closer into Keith’s side, “do you know anyone with a truck? If we can borrow one we could move all your stuff in one trip probably.”

 

“Definitely. Matt has a truck, I’ll text him later and ask, but I know he’ll say yes. Most of us have used his truck to move all kinds of stuff.”

 

“Nice,” Lance’s hands found their way under Keith’s shirt, and they settled even closer together. Keith hummed and rubbed Lance’s back. “Oh, hey…Hunk’s birthday is coming up, right?”

 

“Uh…yeah. It’s on the thirteenth.”

 

“Do you know everyone’s birthday?”

 

“Yes?”

 

“Oh, sweet,” Lance grabbed his phone from the side table. He went into his contacts, first adding Hunk’s birthday, then, “okay what about…Allura?”

 

“August ninth for her and Coran.”

 

“Oh, sweet, twins! Okay, and then, uh…Matt?”

 

“November fifth.”

 

“Guy Fawkes Day!”

 

“Guy…who?”

 

“Guy Fawkes, the guy who tried to blow up British Parliament on November fifth however many years ago? There’s a movie based off of it? V for Vendetta.”

 

“Oh, I think I’ve heard of that one.”

 

“What? Oh, we’re watching that. Soon, but definitely on November fifth. Okay next is…Pidge.”

 

“April third.”

 

“Shay?”

 

“May Day.”

 

“That really fits her. Alright, who’s left? Uh…Shiro!”

 

“February twenty-ninth.”

 

“Huh. How old is Shiro?”

 

“Thirty-three.”

 

Lance paused, mentally calculating, “so he’s actually…eight.”

 

“What?” Keith furrowed his brow as Lance laughed, not getting- oh. “Oh!” Keith joined Lance’s laughter, “oh, man. Next leap year we should totally throw him a nine-year-old style kid-themed party.”

 

“Keith! Yes!” Lance cackled, falling against Keith’s side, “dude that’s the best idea…okay when’s next leap year?” He checked his phone, and groaned, “aw, man! Not for another two years! We can _not_ forget this.”

 

“Mark it down at the beginning of the year, so we have two months to make it happen,” Keith suggested, nodding when Lance did just that, “oh, and we need Allura in on this. She’ll love it.”

 

“Yessss,” Lance hissed, typing in, “tell Allura, exclamation point.”

 

“So, since you’re apparently obsessed with birthdays-“

 

“Hey!”

 

“-what are you doing for Hunk, since his is next?”

 

“I dunno, I was gonna catch Shay at work this week and see if she’s planning something, or if he’s anti-birthday like you.”

 

“I am not ant-birthday,” Keith scoffed.

 

“Oh, right. Just your own.”

 

“Uh…well, yea.”

 

Lance paused, turning to give Keith his full attention, “is there a particular reason for that?”

 

With a shrug, Keith looked down and muttered, “I just don’t…um, it’s just another day.”

 

“No, or you wouldn’t be avoiding my eyes,” Lance nudged his fingers under Keith’s chin, but didn’t force him when he refused to look up. “Keith, did something happen on your birthday?” Lance’s heart jumped into his throat when Keith’s eyes squeezed shut and his breathing picked up. He quickly cupped Keith’s cheeks and rested his forehead against the side of Keith’s head, “you don’t have to tell me, I’m sorry for bringing it up.”

 

Keith shook his head, and Lance dropped his hands thinking he didn’t want to be touched. When his hands landed in his own lap, eyes pained, Keith grabbed them and held on tight. He took a few carefully measured breaths, but didn’t open his eyes when he quietly said, “my parents died on my birthday.”

 

“Keith…” Lance whispered, clutching Keith’s hand just as tight as Keith was holding onto him, “Keith I’m so sorry.” He pulled Keith into a tight hug, and his heart broke all over again when he heard Keith hiccup a sob against his shoulder. They sat like that, Lance gently rubbing Keith’s back as Keith held him tight and quietly cried, until he finally calmed himself enough to sit up and dry his tears on the sleeve of his shirt. Lance kept one hand on his back, rubbing soothing circles over the fabric, “I won’t bug you about your birthday anymore.”

 

“No, it’s,” Keith sniffled, keeping his eyes in his lap where he played with the fingers of Lance’s other hand, “it’s okay. It helps, actually. I want to celebrate my birthday, most of the time, but then…it gets closer to the day and I just…can’t.”

 

Lance hummed, pressing his forehead against Keith’s temple again, “okay. Well, when you want to celebrate, you let me know and I’ll plan something great.”

 

Keith lifted his face, eyes grateful and lips curved in a small smile, “thanks, Lance.”

 

“Sure.”

 

“No,” Keith shook his head, “I mean, for understanding, even before…before you knew you still didn’t push even though birthdays are a big deal for you.”

 

Lance shrugged, “you seemed uncomfortable about it, and I wouldn’t dream of pushing something on you like that, just like you respect me with…with sex. I respect you, and love you, and wouldn’t dream of pissing you off on purpose like that.”

 

Keith’s smile grew, and he even laughed a little bit, “I think those two things are very different, but I get what you’re trying to say.”

 

“Good,” Lance’s stomach chose that moment to growl, which pulled another laugh out of Keith, “I guess it’s time for lunch.” He pressed a firm kiss to Keith’s temple and got up, Keith’s fingers sliding through his as he wandered back into the kitchen.

 

Lunch was simple, sandwiches and chips, but Keith still insisted on doing the dishes since Lance ‘cooked.’ When they were done, Keith asked if they could take a nap. Lance immediately agreed, so they snuggled up in Lance’s bed. Lance lay on his back, propped up a little with an extra pillow, while Keith was wrapped around him, head resting on his chest. Keith yawned, “can you sleep like that?”

 

“Nah, I’m not gonna sleep.”

 

“Then why-“

 

“But I did want to cuddle.”

 

“…oh.” Keith yawned again, hugged Lance closer, and quickly fell asleep.

 

With a smile, Lance hugged Keith for a bit before pulling out his phone to keep his mind occupied.

 

——

 

Keith napped for three hours. Lance dozed off a few times as well, and was snoring a little when Keith woke up. He raised his head with a frown, curious why his pillow was vibrating. His expression softened into a smile when he realized it was Lance, head tilted back and mouth open. Keith thought the angle looked uncomfortable, so he slid his hand up to Lance’s shoulder and gently shook it.

 

“Uhm?” Lance’s head popped up, eyes looking around until they landed on Keith, “oh, hey. Did I fall asleep?” He winced when he turned to look at Keith and rubbed at his neck with his free hand.

 

Keith hummed, helped Lance scoot down a little to lay more comfortably, then snuggled close again, smiling when Lance wrapped him up in his arms. 

 

“You doing okay?” Lance asked, one hand sliding into Keith’s hair while the other gently rubbed his arm.

 

“Hmm…yeah,” Keith sighed, melting as Lance’s fingers scratched his scalp. “Hey,” he squeezed around Lance’s middle, “happy new year.”

 

“Oh. Happy new year,” Lance pressed a kiss onto Keith’s head, “did you make a resolution for this year?”

 

“No. Should I?”

 

“Only if you want to.”

 

“Did you make one?”

 

“I made three.”

 

“What are they?”

 

“First,” Lance held up a finger, “I’m not going to hide any more. I’m Bi, and I want to be proud of that. Second,” another finger joined the first, “I want to learn how Hunk makes Baklava. His is seriously the best. And third,” another finger, making three, “I’m going to get comfortable enough to…to have sex…with you,” he finished with a blush, dropping his hand back down to rest on Keith’s arm.

 

“Those are…really good,” Keith shifted a bit, sliding one leg over Lance’s, “but don’t force yourself with the sex one, okay?”

 

“Don’t worry, I’ve got all year, right?” Lance teased.

 

“True,” Keith turned to rest his chin on Lance’s chest so he could look at his face, “I think I have a resolution for this year.”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“To love you a little more every day.”

 

Lance blushed bright red, covered one cheek with his hand, and muttered, “sap.”

 

Keith grinned and moved up to hover over Lance, hands planted by his shoulders, one knee beside his hip, the other between his legs. He leaned closer, breath ghosting over Lance’s lips as he murmured, “yup,” and closed the distance to sweetly kiss him. Lance hummed as he slid his arms over Keith’s shoulders, one hand’s fingers tangling in his hair while the other gripped the back of his shirt. Keith settled his body onto Lance’s, tilting his head to a better angle so he could deepen the kiss. Lips parted, tongues met and explored slowly, lazily. They kissed until they were panting together, and Keith broke the kiss to lay back down snuggled together. 

 

Lance frowned. He could feel Keith’s erection pressing into his hip. His own was about half way there, which gave their snuggling an edge that had pleasure thrumming in the background. He enjoyed the feeling, but was still confused that Keith didn’t move on to something that required them to be naked.

 

Feeling Lance’s frown against his hair, Keith looked up, brow furrowed, “is something wrong?”

 

Lance blinked and looked down at Keith. He used his thumb to smooth the wrinkle between Keith’s eyebrows. “Um…I just…wondered why we’re not…” he moved his hand in circles, hoping Keith got the message.

 

“What? This?” Keith pressed his cock against Lance’s hip. When Lance nodded in reply, he smiled, “I was enjoying being close to you,” he explained, “intimacy doesn’t always mean sex.”

 

“I know,” Lance brought his hand back to Keith’s face, gently stroking his cheek, “I just didn’t think we’d not do…stuff when we’re both horny.”

 

“Oh,” Keith shifted, sliding his leg up a little to press against Lance’s cock, who gasped and hardened more at the contact, “I didn’t realize you were, too. Do you want to?” He smoothed a hand down Lance’s stomach to slip his fingers under the hem and stroke over the skin of his hip.

 

“Uh-mmm….if, if you want to,” Lance stuttered, thrusting up against Keith’s leg.

Keith hummed, sliding his hand up under Lance’s shirt to brush against a nipple, causing Lance to gasp again and moan, “yeah, I want to. But,” he moved his hips in lazy circles against Lance’s hip, “this time I want you to choose what we do.” He rubbed a finger in tight circles over Lance’s nipple, “what do you want, Lance?”

 

With another moan, Lance tried to even his breathing and think. Keith’s fingers really weren’t helping. “I want,” he began, then bit his lip to stifle another moan as his cock filled completely under Keith’s strong leg. “I want,” he couldn’t get what he’d imagined that morning out of his head, his words from his resolution replaying in his head, “oh my god…”

 

Keith smirked, knowing how difficult he was making it for Lance to come to a decision. He reluctantly stopped his teasing. His hand moved down to rest on Lance’s hip, his leg slid back down, and he stopped humping Lance’s hip, “what do you want?”

 

Lance squeezed his eyes shut and tilted his head back. He couldn’t look at Keith or he’d lose his nerve.

 

“I want you to fuck me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahh! Cliff hanger! How will Keith react? Will they actually do it? Haha...do it.
> 
> ALSO!! I'm having a hard time thinking of what Lance would get for his first tattoo. Do you have any ideas? Let me know!
> 
> And as always, thank you, thank you, thank you for reading, commenting, subscribing, and leaving kudos!
> 
> Come see what I'm obsessing over on my [tumblr](http://krysblack.tumblr.com)


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> *waggles eyebrows* I'm not telling! Do things get steamy? or do they not?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eh...short chapter update today, but it got to a good ending point and I didn't want to take another week to make it super long.
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

_Lance squeezed his eyes shut and tilted his head back. He couldn’t look at Keith or he’d lose his nerve._

 

_“I want you to fuck me.”_

 

Keith stilled, then propped himself up on one elbow to look down at Lance, expression torn, “you…what? Lance, are you sure?”

 

Peeking one eye open to gauge Keith’s reaction, Lance swallowed and shifted a little on the bed. “Um, yes?” his voice wavered, but now that he was looking at Keith, he couldn’t look away.

 

Keith pressed his lips into a thin line as his gaze flitted down Lance’s body, then back up to his face. He took a slow, deep breath, and moved back just far enough to completely separate himself from Lance. This decision, this conversation, needed to happen when both of them were fully in control of themselves. “Lance,” Keith murmured, gently taking his hand when Lance frowned at the distance between them.

  
Lance sighed and turned onto his side to face Keith, “I’m sorry. It’s just…I haven’t been able to stop thinking about…that, since this morning, and then we were talking about it and…I want to- to know what that feels like.”

 

“I know how you feel,” Keith replied. Lance raised a brow, and Keith chuckled, “I really do! I promise. But if you’re not sure, if you’re not actually ready, it’s not going to feel good. At all.”

 

“I know,” Lance sighed again, “you’ve mentioned that, but-“ he cut himself off to bite at his lip, “but I’m going to be nervous, whether it’s now or next week, or next month, or the end of the year.”

 

Keith smiled, and leaned forward to press a chaste kiss on Lance’s lips, “I just don’t want you to ask for it in the heat of the moment, and regret it later.” He kissed Lance again, then pressed their foreheads together, “let’s wait a little, and see how you feel after.”

 

“Okay.”

 

They stayed like that, facing each other, foreheads pressed together, for a little while, until Lance took a deep breath and shifted a little closer. Keith stirred out of his doze, “How do you feel?”

 

Lance licked his lips, “still nervous, but more calm.”

 

“Do you still want to…?”

 

“Ye-yeah.”

 

“Okay.” Keith pulled Lance closer and kissed him, his hand sliding up Lance’s arm to bury in the hair at the back of his head. He kept the heat low at first, starting with chaste kisses that slowly deepened until they were full-on making out. Lance grasped Keith’s hip and shuffled closer until their bodies were pressed together and rubbed his renewed erection against Keith’s. Still the atmosphere between them was slow, calm, despite Lance’s attempts to speed things up. When Lance began squirming and making small frustrated noises, Keith broke the kiss and cupped his cheek. “Hey, slow down. It’s okay. Can I…” he made a point to keep eye contact with Lance, “will you let me take care of you?”

 

Lance whimpered, he at least knew what that meant. It took him a moment to collect himself, and he nodded.  
  
“I need you to say it.”

 

“Yes.”

 

Keith shivered, “lay back for me.” Lance rolled to his back and Keith shifted to hover over him, pressing kisses on his nose and cheeks to break some of the tension, causing Lance to giggle, “there you are.”

 

“Hi.”

 

“Hey.”

 

They smiled at each other, then Keith sat up to quickly undress both of them before they got too into feeling good. Their clothes ended up in a crumpled pile on the floor, and he reached to the night stand in search of the lube. In the drawer, he found what he was looking for, as well as a small box of “condoms? You really have been thinking about this.”

 

“Uh, well, yeah. I mean, it’s…cleaner, right? And…safer? I know we’re both clean but…” Lance stammered, flushing all the way down to his chest as Keith opened the box and ripped a condom off the strip.

 

“Yeah, it definitely makes clean up easier,” he said, skipping the rest to keep Lance from over thinking his choices, “I’m glad they’re here, because I was definitely not prepared for this.”

 

Lance bit his lip around a smile, hesitantly spreading his legs at Keith’s nudge, letting him settle close. Keith tucked his knees under Lance’s thighs and leaned forward to press kisses over Lance’s chest. Keith spent a little bit of time on Lance’s nipples as he gently stroked his cock and slicked his fingers, then gently probed Lance’s hole. He tensed for just a moment, taking a deep breath to relax and allow Keith’s finger to slowly slide in. He knew this, it was good…so good, and he really liked it. If this was good, surely Keith’s cock would be even better, right? Yes, he told himself, yes it would. He moaned when Keith’s single finger grazed his prostate, the added pleasure giving Keith the opportunity to add a second finger.

 

“Mmf…ah, Keith,” Lance murmured, hips twitching as his hands grasped onto Keith’s biceps, relishing in the feel of the muscles bunching under his palms. Soon after, the double stimulation was bringing him to the edge too quickly. He reached down, pulling Keith’s hand away from his cock, “too much, I’m gonna come.”

 

Keith huffed in amusement, shoulders relaxing at the realization that Lance’s nervousness wasn’t keeping him from feeling good. He backed off Lance’s prostate, but kept working his fingers, spreading them apart to help stretch Lance for more, adding a third a few minutes later. With the third, he stretched Lance farther than before, spreading his fingers gently as he pulled out, and aiming for his prostate with each push in. 

 

At this point, Lance was panting, part anticipation and part desire. “Keith, Keith…how much-ah! How much more?” His back arched on the next brush of his prostate and he moaned, mouth falling open as his fingers twined with Keith’s. Apparently, he hadn’t let go of his hand when he pulled it off his cock.

 

“Getting impatient?” Keith teased. He reluctantly pulled his hand away from Lance’s, and pulled his fingers out of him as he sat back. Lance whined, and Keith gently shushed him, “need more lube.”

 

“For what?” Lance asked, exasperated. Wasn’t that enough?

 

“One more finger,” Keith replied, pressing three back in after slicking them up again. 

 

“Why?”

 

After a few more thrusts, Keith added the fourth and Lance gasped at the stretch. “That,” he replied, stilling his hand to let Lance get used to the feeling, “god you’re tight.” 

 

“Ah, fuck…” Lance took a few measured breaths, which he immediately lost when he looked down to see Keith gripping his own cock tight at the base. He huffed, “close already?” Keith sent Lance a half hearted glare and thrust his fingers right against his prostate in reply. Lance choked on a moan and clawed at the sheets under him, “yeah, yeah me too. Fuck, I-“ he swallowed, “I think I’m ready. I want…I-more, please!”

 

“Just a little longer,” Keith murmured, the tension in his voice betraying his shared impatience as he worked his fingers inside Lance, waiting for the slide of all four to become easy. He leaned forward and propped himself on his free hand as he hovered over Lance, then bent down to kiss him. Lance responded enthusiastically, fingers burying in Keith’s hair as he arched up to him with a moan. The pleasurable distraction did the trick, and soon Keith’s fingers slid easily. He shifted closer as he slowly removed his fingers, balancing on his legs so he could rip open the foil and roll on the condom while keeping up with their kisses.

 

When the condom was secured and lubed up, Keith pulled back to make eye contact with Lance. “Do you still want this?” he asked, body still, face serious.

 

Lance took a deep breath in an attempt to calm himself and think clearly. It was difficult, his skin was tingling, his cock was so hard it was almost painful, and Keith wanted an answer from him? He took another breath, “yes.”

 

Keith bit his lip to muffle a moan. He gripped his cock and  brought it into position, its blunt tip pressing gently against Lance’s hole. “Just…tell me, if it’s too much, or if you want to stop, at any point, okay?”

 

“Yeah, okay,” Lance breathed, losing some of the tension his nervousness was holding on to.

 

“Okay.” Keith gripped the back of Lance’s thigh with his free hand, pushing the leg up and back toward his chest, then pressed forward slowly. Lance focused on his breathing as the pressure built up against his hole. It wasn’t going to fit, he could tell, there was no way. Then Keith murmured, “bear down.” He did, and suddenly the head of Keith’s cock popped through the ring of muscle, pulling a gasp from Lance and a groan from Keith. He stopped there, giving Lance some time to adjust at they looked at each other, chests heaving. Lance looked a bit dazed, and Keith asked, “are you okay?”

 

Lance blinked up at Keith, swallowed, and nodded, “ye-yeah.” He shifted a bit and felt Keith’s cock try to twitch from inside him as Keith moaned. “Fuck,” Lance muttered, holding himself as still as he could, “fuck that burns.”

 

“Do you want to stop?” Keith asked, already starting to pull out, but Lance reached out to grab his upper arms as he shook his head, so Keith relaxed forward again. His cock slid in a little more with the movement, and it took all his self control to keep from thrusting forward any more.

 

Lance moaned when Keith’s cock nudged in a bit farther, his body already trying to draw it farther in. “Keep-ah, keep going,” he murmured and shifted the leg not in Keith’s grip into the same position as the other, opening him up more.

 

Keith looked down, now able to watch as he sunk into Lance’s body. He kept it slow, gently rubbing Lance’s legs as he inched his way in. “Fuck, Lance,” he groaned and bit his lip.

 

When Keith had made it a little over half way in, Lance huffed a few labored breaths and squeezed Keith’s arms, “wait, wait, just a sec.” Keith paused, muscles tense to keep himself still as Lance breathed through the discomfort. He let go of Keith’s arms to rub his face with both hands, then buried his fingers in his hair as they made eye contact again.”

 

“Don’t force yourself,” Keith warned, “we can do something else if you want to stop.”

 

“I know,” Lance replied, tone mild. He brushed Keith’s cheek with his fingers, bringing them up to tangle in his hair while his other hand slid down to grasp his own cock and finding it still rock hard and leaking. He gave it a few light tugs, breathing deep through the mixed sensations, and nodded, “okay…yeah okay I’m good.”

 

“Keep going?”

 

“Yeah, keep going.”

 

“Okay, I’m almost there.” Keith’s words were calm, but his breathing betrayed him, chest heaving as he resumed his forward press. Lance let out an explosive breath, hand tightening on his cock as Keith slid the rest of the way in. He startled when Keith’s balls came to press against his ass, and chuckled at himself. Keith huffed a quiet laugh and settled into a more comfortable kneel, hands still running up and down Lance’s thighs; more for the feel of his soft skin than anything else. He looked down at Lance, who seemed more comfortable now, “let me know when you’re ready.”

 

Lance nodded, letting go of his cock before he pushed himself over the edge, which surprised him. He thought he’d have a hard time keeping it up at first, but true to Keith’s words, it wasn’t painful as much as it was uncomfortable. The initial burn of the stretch had faded and now Lance just felt…full. It’s wasn’t really good, but it wasn’t bad either. He wondered briefly if this was how it felt for girls too, when Keith’s cock twitched inside him. Lance gasped, Keith’s cock put a little pressure on his prostate and it sent tingles up his spine. He looked at Keith, who had a guilty look on his face.

 

“Sorry, I…reflex,” Keith murmured.

 

Lance grinned, “it felt good.”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Mmm, hmm. I think I’m ready.”

 

Keith let out a sharp breath as he gripped Lance’s thighs to steady himself. He started small, pulling out just a little before sliding back in, making sure to press up in hopes that he’d at least put pressure against Lance’s prostate. Whatever he did, it seemed to be good. Lance was staring down his body as if he could see what Keith was doing, his pupils blown wide and his breaths panting. Keith pulled out a little more, keeping the same steady pace to thrust back in. It took a few thrusts, but he knew once he found Lance’s prostate. Lance threw his head back with a guttural moan and his cock jumped up off of his stomach. Keith maintained his rhythm for a bit longer before checking in, “you doing okay?”

 

“Fu-fuck…fuck yea,” Lance moaned, his free hand joining the other in Keith’s hair to tug him down closer. Keith hooked his elbows under Lance’s knees, pressing his palms into the mattress by his sides, and bent down to let Lance capture his lips in a sloppy kiss, hips still working their gentle, steady pace. The changed angle gave Keith deeper access, and they both moaned through the kiss until Lance turned his face to whimper in Keith’s ear, “more.”

 

With a growl, Keith buried his face in the crook of Lance’s neck and thrust harder, the sound of slapping skin taking over the room for just a moment until Keith got the angle just right again and Lance cried out, hips arching up off the bed, “oh! Oh fuck, fuckfuck Keith! Mm-ah!”

 

“You like that?” Keith murmured, grinning when Lance could only moan and nod, “god, Lance, you feel so good.” He sat back up, leaning back for a better angle, and picked up the pace, “wanna see if you can come from just this.”

 

“Yes, yes, Keith, yes!” Lance babbled, “fuck, Keith, so good, so big, so ah! Ngh, f-f-fuck! Right there, yes!” He threw his head back, hands fisting the sheets beside him as Keith hit his prostate with each thrust. It wasn’t long before Lance felt the tightening in his lower belly, and he tensed in anticipation. He could feel himself tightening around Keith’s cock, making him feel even bigger inside, “a-ah! Fuck, Keith I’m gonna-I’m, ah, I’m-!” and he snapped, cock jumping as he came, cum streaking his chest and stomach. He could feel Keith speed up, grunting as Lance channel convulsed around his cock. Then he stilled with a cry, back arching, and Lance knew he was coming. Keith twitched a few times in response to Lance’s hole fluttering in the aftershocks, their chests heaving as they slowly came down from their high. Keith helped Lance lower his legs to the bed, and Lance sighed as he fully relaxed. “Wow.”

 

Keith hummed, the sound turning into a moan as he slowly pulled out before laying down on his back next to Lance. “Yeah,” he murmured, turning his head to look at Lance, “no regrets?”

 

With a chuckle, Lance returned his gaze with a smile, “no regrets.”

 

“Thank god,” Keith muttered, laughing when Lance slapped his thigh with a squawk, “what? I just wanted to make sure I didn’t just ruin our relationship with bad sex or something.”

 

Lance slapped his thigh again, for good measure. He scratched at his stomach, “ugh, yuck!” and looked down to see he’d scratched right through a big glob of cum, “next time I’m wearing a condom too.” That earned him a laugh from Keith, which he reluctantly joined in on as he reached over to wipe his hand on Keith’s arm. Keith caught his hand and brought it up to his mouth, made eye contact with Lance, and licked his fingers clean. “Fuck, Keith, if I go again I’m gonna chafe.”

 

“Are you sure?” Keith asked, rolling over to straddle Lance’s waist, “wanna find out?” Lance groaned, but shook his head as Keith bent down to lick him clean, starting at his cock, which gave a half-hearted twitch at the attention. “You almost hit your chin again,” he commented when he’d reached his chest, pride coloring his voice.

 

“Yeah, it’s that bad sex, you know,” Lance panned, though the hitch in his breath ruined the sarcasm. 

 

When Keith finished, he sat up and worked the condom of his spent cock. He paused, thinking, then held it up for Lance to see. “Hungry?” he asked with a smirk.

 

With a groan Lance pushed Keith away with a foot, “oh my god, gross! No!” He laughed as Keith got off the bed with a grumble, tying a knot at the top of the used condom and tossing it in the small trash can beside Lance’s night stand. “Dude, I totally was hungry until you did that, thanks.”

 

“No problem,” Keith flopped back onto the bed and rolled to his side, pulling Lance closer until they were snuggled together, “I’m in the mood for pizza, what do you think?”

 

Lance pretended to think about it, “ugh, fine. I guess I can stomach that.” He couldn’t keep a straight face, though, and burst into giggles when Keith rolled his eyes and turned over to get his pants off the floor and find his phone. He opened the app to a local pizza place and selected one of their saved orders. Once finalized, he locked the phone and set it on the night stand, then wrapped himself around Lance again, who was still letting out the occasional chuckle. “I can’t believe you did that,” he muttered, nuzzling into Keith’s chest.

 

“Honestly, me either,” Keith replied, which sent Lance to giggling again, “is this something I should expect post sex? Because it’s really cute.”

 

“I dunno, probably,” Lance got out between giggles as Keith tried to calm him down by soothingly rubbing his back.

 

“We’ve got about forty-five minutes until the pizza gets here,” Keith grunted as Lance threw a leg over his waist.

 

“Plenty of time for snuggles,” Lance yawned.

 

“Yeah,” Keith replied, smiling as Lance began to feel a bit heavier against him, “or you could take a nap, either way.”

 

Lance stuck his nose in the crook of Keith’s neck and muttered, “I won’t fall asleep.”

 

Keith shook his head, “you’re already half way there. It’s fine, I’ll wake you up when the pizza gets here.”

 

“…okay…”

 

——

 

_“Lance. Lance, wake up.”_

 

“Hmm?” Lance’s head shot up as he blinked, the world bleary for a few blinks until his vision cleared to see an amused Keith kneeling by the bed. He wiped at his mouth, embarrassed to find he had been drooling in his sleep. “Ugh, hey. Time for pizza?”

 

“Yup,” Keith pressed a kiss to Lance’s forehead, “there’s a glass of water on the night stand for you.” He got up as Lance waved him off and walked out of the room, leaving the door wide open.

 

Lance sat up, watching Keith move out of his sight, and winced at the soreness of his ass. That was definitely going to take some getting used to, but he felt good. He first drank the glass of water, then got dressed in what he’d been wearing earlier. When he emerged from the bed room, the pizzas were set up on the coffee table with paper plates, two cokes, and a small stack of napkins. Netflix was up and running, and Keith had even picked out a movie. Lance smiled, “Beauty and the Beast?”

 

“Luke Evans,” Keith replied, completely serious, from his spot on the couch.

 

“Good point.” Lance joined him, and they filled their plates, then settled back and Keith hit play.

 

“Are you going to sing along to all of these songs?” Keith asked, tone intentionally neutral.

 

Lance frowned around his bite of pizza, “I can, but I don’t have to?”

 

Keith shrugged, “I think it’d be fun to hear sometime.”

 

“Maybe not tonight, or I won’t get to eat.”

 

“Fair enough.”

 

Lance hummed along to most of the songs anyway.

 

Keith thought his voice was better than even Luke Evan’s, but he didn’t say it.

 

After the pizzas were gone and the movie over, Keith announced that he needed to go home tonight. Lance made a show of pouting, which earned him some extra make-out time on the couch.

 

Score.

 

But Keith still insisted on going home, with promises that February wasn’t so far away, especially since he needed to be out by January 31 if he wanted out of a new lease. Lance helped him get his stuff together, and followed him to the door for more kisses until Keith gently pushed him back and shut the door with one last good bye. 

 

Heaving a deep sigh, Lance flopped onto the couch and lay there for a good ten minutes thinking through the day. Keith’s jealousy during the night, how much his birthday hurt, Lance’s own resolutions for the new year, and then the sex - oh boy, the sex! Lance knew he was still Bi, but he felt a bit ruined for anyone else ever again, and that made him question if he shouldn’t re-identify himself as Gay. He thought of some of the girls he found hot in high school and college, and shook his head. Definitely still Bi.

 

Speaking of…

 

A sudden thought occurred to him that had to do with his resolution to be Bi and proud. He pulled out his phone and texted Shiro.

 

**Lance**

Hey! Can I set up a time to meet with you about my tattoo? But I don’t want Keith to know about it so I can surprise him ;)

 

Lance got up to putter around, cleaning up what little mess they’d made with the pizza, then went to the bathroom to start his night time routine. About half way through, his phone buzzed with a reply.

 

**Shiro-gains!**

Sure, talk to Pidge, they do the scheduling and know when Keith’s off so he’s not there when we meet.

 

I just want to say one thing: please don’t get his name, or his portrait tattooed on you, or anything that is means ‘just for him.’ Not only is it a bad idea, but Keith will seriously get pissed off at you for it.

 

**Lance**

Woah! No, no, it’s definitely nothing like that, I promise! It’s just…I have this idea and I don’t want any outside influence on it and Keith’s really the only one I’ll need to keep it from until you’re doing it.

 

Also, can I draw what I’m thinking of and show it to you?

 

**Shiro-gains!**

Okay. Yeah, that’s understandable. And yes, if you have something specific and want to draw it, please do! It definitely helps me to come up with exactly what you want.

 

**Lance**

Thanks, Shiro. Good night!

 

**Shiro-gains!**

Night, Lance

 

——

 

Lance sighed, smile tugging at his lips. He was afraid he wasn’t going to have a good idea for the crazy tattoo gift voucher Shiro gave him for Christmas, but something was definitely brewing in his head now.

 

Now he just needed to figure out what colors to use.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> EEEEEEEeeEeEEee!!!!! They did it! They DID IT! Finally, right? Maybe? It only took 15 Chapters, and 4 months of dating...well, I guess that's not too bad then. Hehe ^.~
> 
> You guys! Your tattoo ideas were AMAZING!! I think I have it down to what I want Lance to get, we'll see in the coming chapters (whenever it gets put in, I write by the seat of my pants!).
> 
> Thank you, thank you! For reading, leaving kudos, commenting (and suggesting!), subscribing, and also for following me on [tumblr!](http://krysblack.tumblr.com)
> 
> <3<3


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance gets his tattoo!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Agh! Okay people, I'm going to say it again because I don't want to be drug through flames for my ignorance:
> 
> All my knowledge of getting a tattoo and how to take care of one are derived from what I watched of 'LA: Ink' and a few google searches. If my information is wrong, please do correct me! Preferably with kindness :)
> 
> Also! Many many thanks to all of you for your suggestions! I combined a few (Bi flag colors, family/friend representation, STARS!) and added a bit of my own. I even drew it! Well, like Lance I traced vector art off google and colored it XD I'm guessing because I'm hot spotting my laptop with my phone, and reception at my new house is spotty at best, the picture isn't uploading right because I can't get it to work. So, at the end I'll have a link to where I posted it on tumblr.
> 
> Read my more notes at the end for a little bit of personal realization in relation to this story.

The next day, Lance was lucky enough that Pidge came in for the daily pastry run. 

 

“Pidge! Just the person I wanted to see!” he cried out when they walked through the door.

 

“Uh,” Pidge drew their head back and looked down at themselves, “did I turn into Keith in my sleep?”

 

Lance shook his head as he gathered their usual treats, “no, I have a favor to ask you.”

 

“Whatever it is, the answer is ‘no,’” they said, reaching out to grab the bag.

 

“Okay. Listen,” Lance held the bag out of their reach until they stepped back and waved their hands around to say ‘I’m listening,’ “so I need to make an appointment to sit with Shiro and hash out what I’m gonna get with my voucher, and I need it on a day Keith is off.”

 

Pidge frowned, “you’re not gonna get his name tattooed on your ass, are you?”

 

“No! Ew, gross,” Lance twisted his face into a grimace, “no names, or portraits, or whatever. No, I just…wanna keep it between me and Shiro until he’s actually doing it. Besides, Shiro would veto anything that would piss Keith off.”

 

“Ugh, okay fine. I’ll text you later.” Pidge reached for the bag again, and this time Lance handed it over.

 

“Thanks, Pidge. I owe you a coffee!”

 

“Make that two!” Pidge called over their shoulder as they walked out the door, and Lance waved as they passed by the window.

 

He went back to restocking from their morning rush when Coran walked out from the back to do something at the register. After a few minutes, Lance felt eyes on him, and looked over, making eye contact with Coran, “uh, hey.”

 

“Lance, are you alright?” Coran asked. When Lance gave him a confused look, he elaborated, “you’re moving as if you were stiff or sore, I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”

 

Understanding dawned on Lance, and he turned bright red. “Uh…ye-yeah. Yeah I’m f-fine!” he nearly yelled and ducked down to hide behind the tray cart, busying himself with putting pastries on the bottom shelf.

 

“Alright, then. If you’re not, please don’t overwork yourself!” Coran replied, tone overly cheerful. When Lance glanced over, curious, he caught the amused glint in Coran’s eye, and his knowing smirk, and if he could have blushed any brighter, he would have. Fortunately, Coran was done with the register and made his way to the back again.

 

“Oh my god…” Lance whispered after Coran disappeared into the back. He took a moment (or five) to calm himself down, counting his breaths as he resumed his task. By the time he was finished, he had long lost count, but he was calm and his face felt as if it had returned to its normal temperature. Not that he would be able to look at Coran without blushing again, but that would just be something he’d have to live with from now on.

 

——

 

Pidge got him an appointment for that upcoming Thursday during his usual lunch hour. Lance made sure to let Coran know, and used every spare moment he had at home to finish the idea he had rattling around in his brain.

 

——

 

“Hey, Lance,” Pidge said as he walked in the shop Thursday, “Shiro’s in the back, he’ll be out in a minute.” They perked up immediately when a large cup was set in front of them, followed by a familiar paper bag, “my fondness for you grows with every coffee. Especially with this cold weather.”

 

“I’m aware,” Lance teased, “one of two owed.” He took off his coat and scarf, then settled himself on the couch as Pidge wrapped their hands around the hot beverage and took a sip. 

 

They looked over the edge of the cup as Lance fiddled with a piece of paper, “is that your design?” At Lance’s nod, they frowned, “I wanna see it.”

 

“You’ll see it when it’s on my body.” Lance grinned when Pidge grumbled a complaint, tucking the paper under his leg when they tried to see through the back.

 

Lance had to wait closer to five minutes, which was spent watching Pidge drink their coffee and nibble on the pastry he brought them, and scrolling through his facebook feed. When Shiro emerged from the back, he smiled at Lance and waved him over to his station, “sorry about the wait, the autoclave was acting up.”

 

“No problem, as long as I’m back to work on time,” Lance replied as he got up and moved to sit in the indicated chair. He held out the paper he brought, “that’s what I came up with. If it’s more than the voucher I’ll pay the difference-“

 

“No you won’t,” Shiro cut in as he took the paper, and waved off Lance’s next protest, “you volunteered to help Sunday night. Whatever extra can be considered a return favor.” He looked down at the paper, expression purposely blank as he took in the drawing.

 

With a sigh, Lance crossed his arms and said, “you won’t let me pay at all, will you?” Shiro smirked and shook his head. “Ugh, fine,” he scoffed, then slumped his shoulders, “thanks.”

 

“Don’t mention it. Now, tell me what’s behind this,” Shiro held up the picture as he propped his hip against the backrest of the chair.

 

“Right. Yeah, so,” Lance straightened up and pointed at the center of the picture, “I looked at different symbols that represented Bisexuality, and really liked the double crescent. I’m not sure the colored pencils I used are the exact right colors…”

 

“That won’t be an issue.”

 

“Okay. So, there’s that. And then the stars are…well, you guys,” Lance pointed at each star as he named the important people in his life, “that’s Keith, then you, Allura, Coran, Stella and Charlie share that one, then Pidge, Hunk, and Shay. I have each person’s color written to the side. Most should be on, but I didn’t have the right coral color for Shay.” He swept his fingers over the blue waves framing the piece, “these are my parents,” there was a heavy pause, then he asked, “what do you think?”

 

“It doesn’t matter what I think,” Shiro automatically replied, then huffed at himself and touched Lance’s shoulder, “sorry, that’s an automatic response. I really like it. You’ve put a lot of thought into this, and I’m…well, I’m honored you’re letting me do something so special for you.”

 

Lance blushed, but didn’t say anything in reply.

 

“Okay. I have a few more questions, and then I’ll work on making the colors right. Do you want this outlined?”

 

“Um…no.”

 

“Do you want me to clean up the lines, or keep it sketchy, like this?”

 

“Yeah, you can clean it up.”

 

“Where do you want this on your body?”

 

“Um, I was thinking either my chest, or maybe my shoulder?”

 

Shiro held the picture up to Lance’s chest, “is this about the size you want?”

 

“I guess? Uh, whatever size you think is best to fit.”

 

“I’d like to get a sketch of your chest and shoulder for size reference. Take your shirt off, please.”

 

Lance did as asked, and Shiro tore two pieces of wax paper off a role nearby. He held one up to Lance’s chest, “hold this?” He traced the shape of his pecs, marked where his nipples were, and added a few more details leading up to his shoulders and his collar bones. That one done, he asked, “which shoulder?” Lance turned to show Shiro his left shoulder, and Shiro traced the upper half of his arm. When he finished, Lance put his shirt back on as Shiro gently folded the pieces of wax paper and put them to the side. He scribbled a few notes on the corner of Lance’s paper, ‘ _no lines, clean up, fix colors_ ,’ then set it on top of the wax papers, “okay, that’s all I need for now. I’ll show you what I come up with, and if you like it we’ll make an appointment to get this done. I’ll make the stencil in a few different sizes, and we’ll see what you like best. I don’t want to go much smaller, though, or the little stars won’t turn out.”

 

“Yeah, okay,” Lance took the hand Shiro offered to help him up, and gave his arm a squeeze, “really, though. Thank you. I’m…really glad you took my joke seriously.”

 

“Don’t thank me yet,” Shiro teased, “I’ll text you when it’s ready.”

 

“Okay.” Lance sent Shiro a grateful smile, put his coat back on, then waved at Pidge and went back to the Bakery.

 

——

 

Shiro texted Lance later that afternoon, just before he clocked out.

 

**Shiro-gains!**

Hey, I finished the redraw of your piece. If you haven’t gone home yet, swing by and check it out.

 

Lance did a little happy dance when he saw the text. Hunk chuckled at his antics and asked, “what did Keith say?”

 

“Huh? Oh, no that was Shiro. He’s finished with my piece and wants my approval,” Lance hung his apron up in his locker and pocketed his wallet and keys.

 

“That was fast,” Hunk grinned, “you’re getting preferential treatment you know.”

 

“I know,” Lance frowned, “but I didn’t ask for it!”

 

“Easy,” Hunk held his hands out in a placating gesture. “I know you wouldn’t. Shiro’s like that. When I got this one,” he lifted his sleeve to show off the mandala on his upper arm, “he did the same thing. They were booked solid for over a month, but he made room for me within a week, and even though he denies it, I know he undercharged me.” Lance gave him a look, and Hunk laughed, “let me guess, he’s using the voucher and your time Sunday to keep you from paying him?”

 

“Oh my god, I feel so bad!” Lance whined, “but he won’t let me give him anything!”

 

“I paid him back by paying for their pastries until I felt I’d payed him back,” Hunk suggested, “I don’t think he even noticed. Keith and Pidge did. Keith didn’t say, but Pidge gave me a high-five.”

 

“I’ll have to ask them how much this piece would have run me,” Lance murmured, “thanks, Hunk.”

 

“Sure thing.”

 

Lance shook his head and turned back to his phone to reply:

 

 

**Lance**

Sweet! I just got off so I’ll be right over!

 

 

When Lance took a look at Shiro’s cleaned up, color-fixed version, he thought he was going to cry. “Shiro…” he whispered around the lump in his throat.

 

“Lance?” Shiro asked, “is it okay?”

 

“It’s perfect,” Lance breathed, “the colors are exactly right, how did you do that?”

 

“Years of experience,” Shiro shrugged, “and knowing you well enough doesn’t hurt either.” He tapped the picture twice, “I took the liberty of making the waves a little more realistic, and I swirled the colors for Stella and Charlie’s star.”

 

“Thanks. I traced some vector art offline for those. Well, I traced all of it, because I can’t draw for beans,” Lance grinned down at the picture, “I love it.”

 

“It looks like you’re giving yourself the option to add to this later on.”

 

“I am.”

 

Shiro nodded, then tucked the picture back into the file it had come from, “go see Pidge about an appointment, we’ll see about sizing with the stencils then.”

 

“Sounds good,” Lance stood and shook Shiro’s hand, “see ya later.”

 

“Have a good afternoon, Lance.”

 

Pidge scowled up at Lance when he sat on the corner of their desk, “I still wanna see it.”

 

“You will,” Lance rolled his eyes, “when it’s on my body. Should I come back on my day off, or do you think after work will be enough time?”

 

“After work the day before your day off. Fortunately for you we’re pretty slow so you’ve got your pick.”

 

“Well, my next day off is Saturday, then-“

 

“When do you get off tomorrow?”

 

“Uh, four? But-“

 

Pidge held up a finger as they selected tomorrow’s date on the iPad’s calendar, “Shiro’s available at five tomorrow. Eat before you come, it may take a while,” they said as they put Lance’s appointment into the calendar.

 

“What-“

 

“First timers tend to chicken out. Do you need me or Keith to come get you?”

 

Lance paused, incredulous, then burst out laughing, “no, I promise to show up on time.”

 

“Does Keith get to know about this appointment?” Pidge’s tone went icy.

 

“I’m texting him as soon as I leave to let him know,” Lance crossed his arms, and was about to say something else when Shiro’s laugh preceded him from the kitchen.

 

“Eager, Lance?” he asked, teasing.

 

“What?” Lance looked over to see Shiro waving his phone, the calendar app open, “oh! No, that’s all Pidge.”

 

“I figured,” Shiro tucked his phone away and busied himself with some cleaning.

 

“Here,” Pidge handed him a couple of pamphlets, “one is pre-care, the other is after care. Read them tonight. We sell the cream Shiro prefers.”

 

Lance tucked the pamphlets in his back pocket, “thanks. I’m gonna leave out the back if that’s okay.” He stood and Pidge waved him off, “later, Pidge.”

 

“See ya tomorrow.”

 

True to his word, Lance got his phone and texted Keith as soon as he sat in his car.

 

**Lancey-Lance**

Warning: tomorrow, 5PM. Shiro’s doing my tattoo. Kinda freaking out, but also excited.

 

 

He didn’t wait for Keith to reply, just locked his phone and headed home. He was hungry. He heard his phone go off a few times on the way home, but ignored it until he pulled into the parking lot. He wasn’t surprised to see Keith’s car in the spot next to his assigned space, and waved when he pulled in before checking what he knew was his text.

 

**Keef**

I’m coming over

 

Wait, are you home yet?

 

I’m here, and you’re not, I guess that answers my question. I hope you’re not answering because you’re driving.

 

 

Lance chuckled and got out, meeting Keith on the sidewalk, “yes, I was driving.”

 

Keith frowned at him, but let Lance lead the way into his apartment before saying, “when did you decide to cash in Shiro’s voucher?”

 

“Um, Monday night?” Lance shrugged his coat off and hung it up, “I figured, new year, new life y’know? It’s, uh…part of my resolution.”

 

“Which one?” Keith asked, hands shoved in the pocket of his hoodie.

 

Lance paused, analyzing Keith’s tone. He thought at first Keith was just curious, but he sounded…sad? “The one about being Bi and proud. Hey, are you okay?”

 

Keith sighed, blowing his bangs out of his face. He’d pulled his hair back again, and Lance was having a hard time not covering his neck and shoulders in bites and kisses. Keith shrugged and averted his gaze, “I guess I’m just…disappointed that you didn’t tell me from the start.”

 

“Keith, no,” Lance reached out, but gave Keith the opportunity to deny the touch. When Keith leaned toward him, he immediately wrapped his arms around Keith’s shoulders and held him tight, “I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to hide it from you, promise. I just…wanted to get the design down with Shiro first, then…then Pidge scheduled me for tomorrow because Saturday is my day off and they said most first timers chicken out and-“

 

“Lance,” Keith said, tone amused.

 

“Hmm?”

 

“It’s okay. I understand,” Keith squeezed his arms around Lance’s waist and tilted his head back to look at his face, “will you tell me what it will look like? Or do I have to wait like everyone else?”

 

Lance smiled, relieved, and kissed Keith’s nose, “you have to wait.”

 

“Okay.”

 

“That’s it?”

 

Keith chuckled, “Lance, I do this for a living. I get it. You want to keep it to yourself until it’s done.”

 

Lance exhaled and relaxed into Keith, “yeah. Thanks.” He held Keith tight for a moment, then stepped back to take his shoes off, “do you have an appointment tomorrow afternoon?”

 

Keith followed Lance’s example, then shrugged out of his jacket and hung it up next to Lance’s coat, “no, I checked. I have one right when we open, so I should be done by the time you get there. Can I watch?”

 

“I was hoping you’d hold my hand, and maybe help Shiro with placement and size?” Lance asked, hopeful, as he led Keith to the couch and pulled him down as he sat. 

 

Keith immediately snuggled close. “I can do that,” he replied, just as Lance’s stomach growled, loudly. Lance laughed, while Keith leaned back with wide eyes, “when’s the last time you ate? Two days ago?”

 

Lance just laughed louder, “there’s still leftovers from last night, want some?”

 

“Sure.” Keith followed Lance to the kitchen, and sat at the bar to watch while Lance pulled out the chicken and rice he’d made the day before, split it into two portions, and heated it up. 

 

When he sat down with the two portions, he pulled the two pamphlets from Pidge out of his pocket and laid them on the counter, “you up for going over these with me?”

 

“Hm?” Keith glanced at the pamphlets, “oh. Yeah, sure. I’ll help you take care of it after, too, if it’s hard to reach. Where are you planning to get it?”

 

“I was thinking either my chest, or my shoulder,” Lance shrugged, “Shiro said he’d make a few different sizes and we’d see tomorrow where it looks best.”

 

They went through the pre-care pamphlet while they ate, Keith answering any questions Lance had. After, they briefly went through the after care pamphlet, and Keith promised to get into more detail tomorrow after the tattoo was finished. It wasn’t long after, though, that Lance set the pamphlets aside and pulled Keith to his bed room. Keith raised his brows, but let himself be pulled, “oh, yeah?”

 

“Mm,” Lance led them to his bed and sat down, pulling Keith to stand between his spread knees. “We haven’t done anything since Monday,” he whined as he wrapped his arms around Keith’s waist, “it wasn’t that bad, was it?”

 

Keith froze, then scoffed as he saw the mischievous glint in Lance’s eyes, and carded his fingers through Lance’s hair, “you know it wasn’t. I was just…giving you time to, ah…adjust.”

 

Lance started to chuckle, then groaned and buried his face in Keith’s stomach, “oh god, I just remembered!”

 

“What?” Keith asked, pulling Lance’s head back to look at his face.

 

“Coran knows!” Lance wailed and fell back onto the bed.

 

Keith gaped, “…what?”

 

Lance groaned again and covered his face with his hands, “he noticed that I was moving weird on Tuesday, and asked if I was sore. Of course, I kinda freaked out when I tried to tell him I was fine, and…he _smirked_ at me! He knows and I haven’t been able to look him in the eye since!” It was quiet for a moment, and Lance peeked through his fingers to see Keith trying desperately not to laugh. “You,” he blinked, “why are you laughing?”

 

At that, Keith did let out a chuckle, “of course he would know!” He leaned forward and crawled onto the bed to hover over Lance. “He’s as gay as they come, he’d know if he saw you simply walking down the street that you’d just taken it up the ass, even if you did it almost every day.”

 

“Oh my god,” Lance groaned, “now I really won’t be able to look him in the eye again!”

 

“Hmm…” Keith rocked his hips forward, causing Lance to gasp, “hasn’t killed your boner, I think you’ll be fine.”

 

Lance made an attempt at speaking again, but Keith kept rocking his hips, so all that game out were half-formed words and choked off moans. After a few minutes, he finally got his brain to work again and said, “of-of course not. I’ve got-ah, you on to-top of me.”

 

“So it hasn’t killed your mood, either, huh?” Keith stopped rocking to help Lance get into a better position on the bed.

 

“Definitely not.” Lance took off his shirt while they shifted, and started working on Keith’s pants while Keith shed his hoodie and tank top in one go. There was a tangle of limbs as they each tried to get the other’s pants off first, which ended in giggles and inside-out pants with underwear stuck in them. “Let’s plan to strip before we hit the bed next time,” Lance said between huffs of laughter.

 

“I agree,” Keith murmured, then surged forward and kissed Lance, immediately opening his mouth and devouring Lance with all he had.

 

Lance did his best to keep up, but soon found himself dazed with Keith’s intensity. The next thing he knew, he was moaning and panting as Keith was three fingers deep already. “I don’t think I’m the only one eager tonight,” he managed to say.

 

“You’re right,” Keith replied from between his legs. When did he get down there? Fuck, who cares, because Keith was licking a stripe up Lance’s cock just as he pressed in a fourth finger.  
  
“Oh, fuck!” Lance cried out, and buried his fingers in Keith’s hair, “I’m ready, fuck me, please!” Keith licked Lance’s cock one more time, then sat up and slowly pulled his fingers out, pressing up to scrape his prostate on the way. “Fuck, Keith…” Lance whined, “please, please!”

 

Keith shook his head, “patience.” Lance watched as Keith ripped open a condom and rolled it on, then slathered it with more lube than Lance thought was necessary. Keith shuffled forward, and Lance raised his legs to make room. He gasped as Keith’s cock pressed against his hole, already feeling himself trying to draw it in. Apparently Keith felt it too, because he smirked down at Lance, “ready?”

 

Lance wanted to be annoyed, but all he felt was grateful that Keith was still checking in with him, “yes, I’m ready.”

 

Keith pressed in, meeting much less resistance than last time, and they both groaned. “Fuck,” Keith muttered, “fuck, oh yes.” Keith didn’t stop, he kept pressing in until he was fully seated, then leaned forward to prop himself up on his palms beside Lance’s head. “You good?” he asked, breathing labored.

 

Lance keened and wrapped his legs around Keith’s waist, “fuck, I’m so good.” That was all the encouragement Keith needed, and he drew back out slowly, thrust back in a little more quickly, and built a steadily increasing pace that purposely just barely grazed Lance’s prostate. Lance squeezed his legs around Keith’s waist and whined, back arching as he shifted his hips to find just the right spot. There was a huff of amusement from above him, and he mock glared at Keith.

 

“I thought…you…were so…good?” Keith asked between thrusts.

 

Lance moaned, “I’d be even better if you’d oh-!” He cut off as Keith angled himself just right, the head of his cock rubbing Lance’s prostate on his next thrust. Lance cried out, “yes, yes, right there, yes!” 

 

Keith groaned as Lance tightened around him and sped up the pace, making sure to hit that same spot with each press in. He soon had Lance shuddering, thin fingers bruising his upper arms until he backed off, slowing his thrusts and angling back down. Lance kept making short whining noises for nearly a minute until he realized what was going on.

 

“H-hey, what are you doing?” Lance asked, chest heaving as he slowly came down from his near-orgasm, “dude I was so close.”

 

“I know,” was Keith’s smug reply, “wanna make it last a little longer tonight.” He kept up the slow, shallow thrusts, teasing both Lance and himself, “fuck, you feel so good.”

 

Lance trailed his fingers up Keith’s arms, sliding them around the back of his neck, and tugged lightly. Keith followed the movement and buried his face in the crook of Lance’s neck. They stayed like this for a minute, then Lance shifted, arching his back, “my legs are starting to cramp.”

 

“Shit, sorry,” Keith muttered and sat up fully. He rubbed Lance’s thighs, then pulled them up and hooked his elbows under his knees, “is that better?”

 

Lance relaxed with a sigh, “yeah, thanks.” He smiled back at Keith’s smirk, then frowned when Keith’s thrusts slowed even more until he was barely grinding just the head of his cock in Lances’ ass, “wha-a-ah!”

 

Keith suddenly thrust hard, burying himself fully inside Lance, and immediately went back to the hard, fast pace he’d been using before. He planted his palms beside Lance’s waist, hunching over his body as he found the right angle and pounded Lance’s prostate again, ripping a cry from Lance and a groan from himself. “Fuck! Fuck, fuck, yes, Lance!” he grunted between thrusts.

 

“Oh, fuck! Fuck, Keith, yes!” Lance cried, suddenly so close to his orgasm it nearly caught him by surprise, “don’t stop, don’t stop, right there, Keith, fuck!” He arched his back, body drawing tight in anticipation. Keith gave a grunt of acknowledgement and thrust harder, biting his lip to hold his own orgasm back until Lance found his. He didn’t have to wait long, soon Lance arched hard, clamped down tight on Keith’s cock, and came over his stomach with a ragged moan. Keith followed just after, thrusting twice more before he came with a full body shudder and a groan. They stilled like that, Lance sprawled on the bed, Keith hunched over him, as they slowly came down, chests heaving with their panting breaths. Then Keith moved his arms, letting Lance’s legs slide to the bed as he slowly pulled out. He took off the condom and tied it, then got up with a groan to toss it in the trash. He returned with tissues and wiped Lance off, who was still recovering, laying dazed on the bed.

 

“Are you okay?” Keith asked as he finished cleaning Lance up.

 

“Mmm…yea,” Lance murmured, turning on his side and flapping his hand around to pull Keith close.

 

Keith chuckled, “just a sec,” and threw the tissues on top of the used condom, then snuggled up to Lance in the bed. “I can’t stay tonight,” he reminded Lance, who was already half asleep.

 

“Nooooo, why?” Lance whined, then yawned as he wrapped himself around Keith like an octopus.

 

Keith chuckled, managing to keep one arm free while the rest of his limbs got tangled in Lance’s, “first, because I didn’t bring anything. Second, you have to get up at the crack of dawn and I don’t want to get up with you.” He rubbed Lance’s upper arm, then poked his side, “hey, don’t fall asleep, or I’ll never hear the end of it that you missed your beauty routine.”

 

“Ugh.”

 

“Hey, how about I stay over tomorrow? I’m going to help with your aftercare anyway right?”

 

“Mmm.”

 

“C’mon, get up, or I’m going to get a cold wash cloth.”

 

That got Lance up and going, “I’m up, don’t you dare!” He sat up and tossed his pillow onto Keith’s face as he shuffled to the side of the bed and found his underwear. He huffed as he extracted them from his jeans, then pulled them on. He heard Keith chuckle behind him, and tossed his tangled mess of pants and boxers at him, “have fun with that.”

 

“Oh, damn,” Keith scrunched his face in distaste, but sorted the clothes in his lap and got himself half dressed. 

 

“If you have time tomorrow,” Lance threw out casually, “want me to bring you dinner before my appointment?”

 

“I’d like that,” Keith replied as he found their shirts by his feet and handed Lance’s over to him before putting his own on, “whatever you wanna get, you know what I like.”

 

“I do, don’t I?” Lance smiled after his head popped through his shirt. Keith smiled back, and Lance nearly melted, “I love you.”

 

Keith paused, but continued to smile, “love you too.” He sat on the bed to pull his socks on while Lance pulled flannel pajama pants from a drawer and slid them on.

 

“You think Shiro or Pidge will want anything? I’d feel bad only bringing something for you,” Lance continued.

 

“Shiro will refuse unless you just get him something, and Pidge will definitely take advantage of the offer, so yeah, if you want to,” Keith got up and moved to Lance’s side, sliding his hands over his hips and up his back to pull him close. Lance wrapped his arms around Keith’s neck in response. They shared a sweet kiss, then Keith tucked his nose under Lance’s jaw, “I’m gonna leave now, before I do end up staying the night.”

 

“I wouldn’t be complaining,” Lance teased, but let go when Keith stepped back.

 

“After the twenty-eighth, I can leave without breaking the lease,” Keith replied, “I checked the paperwork.”

 

Lance brightened considerably, “an official count down! Twenty-five days. I can handle that.”

 

Keith smirked, “we’ll see about that.”

 

“Hey,” Lance suddenly changed the subject, “I’ve never asked you about your tattoos.”

 

“No, you haven’t,” Keith said slowly, “I’ve actually been wondering why.”

 

Lance shrugged, “didn’t want to pry, or be rude, or something…”

 

Keith reached out to pull Lance close again, “I appreciate that, but sincere curiosity is definitely not rude, at least to me. And you can pry all you want. If I don’t wanna talk about it, I’ll tell you.” He nuzzled into the crook of Lance’s neck as the other’s arms wrapped around him, and hummed contentedly.

 

“Well, then I’ll ask you tomorrow,” Lance promised.

 

“Only after we talk about yours.”

 

“Deal.”

 

****

 

The next day started at a crawl for Lance. He woke up earlier than his alarm, and couldn’t find enough to do to keep him distracted and occupied until it was time to leave for work, so he left his apartment early as well.

 

He was the first to show up at the Bakery, something he wasn’t surprised about, so despite the cold he walked around the Landing and watched the sun rise over the water until it was time for him to help open the Bakery.

 

When he crossed the street into their little parking lot, Hunk had just pulled in with Shay, and Coran was unlocking the door. “Morning!” he called as he jogged up to the door.

 

“Lance!” Coran called, “what are you doing here so early?”

 

Lance shrugged, “woke up early, and I couldn’t just sit at home waiting to leave, so I walked the Landing a bit.”

 

Coran raised a brow, that knowing look from Tuesday twinkling in his eye again, “I see.”

 

Lance groaned, “yeah, I’m sure you do.” At Coran’s chuckle, Lance asked, “are you going to look at me like that every time? Because it’s a little creepy.”

 

“My apologies,” Coran amended, looking sheepish, “I’m just happy for you, is all.”

 

“Thanks, Coran,” Lance amended, deflating, “but it’s still really embarrassing that you…y’know… _know_.”

 

Coran patted Lance on the shoulder, “I’ll do my best to keep it to myself from now on,” and went into the Bakery. Lance followed, and Hunk and Shay weren’t far behind. “Alright! Lance your cookie decorating skills will be put to the test today, Shay has a large order that needs finishing, and you’ll help her with the final touches.”

 

“Really?” Lance bounced on his toes and turned to Shay, “ you think I’m ready for that?”

 

“I think so,” Shay replied, “but more importantly, Coran thinks so too. You’ve done really well so far with some of the more complicated cookies for the display case.”

 

“Oh, man, I’m so excited!” Lance went straight to his locker and got ready for the work day in record time before clocking in. “So what do we do first?”

 

“Get the shop ready for the day!” Hunk teased from his station, “then cookies.”

 

“Oh. Right.”

 

The morning went by quickly after that, Lance losing himself in the delicate work of piping tiny leaves on one set of cookies, decorating another set with polka dots, and painting white icing silver on the third. He was so busy he missed Keith coming in for Voltron’s pastry run. He was, fortunately, allowed in the back to say hi, and Lance spared him a moment for a kiss and a promise to see him at four thirty.

 

“What’s at four thirty?” Shay asked as they went back to decorating.

 

Lance looked up, “Hmm? Oh, I’m bringing dinner over and Shiro’s doing my tattoo today at five.”

 

“Oh?” Shay leaned forward in interest, “what are you getting?”

 

“You’ll see after it’s done,” Lance focused on the cookie he was working on to avoid Shay’s piercing gaze. He wasn’t sure he could resist telling her if he made eye contact.

 

Shay huffed, “is it a secret for everyone? Or just me?”

 

Lance shook his head, “Shiro is the only other person who knows so far, since he’s doing it. Even Keith has to wait.”

 

“Then I won’t pry any further,” Shay promised, “but I want to see it when it’s done!”

 

“I promise,” Lance replied.

 

“Me too!” Hunk called from across the kitchen.

 

“And me!” cried Coran from the office.

 

“Oh, god. I’m so glad it’s going on the top half of my body,” Lance moaned, earning a laugh from Shay, and an embarrassed groan from Hunk.

  
“So it’s not Keith’s name on your ass?” Shay teased.

 

Lance shook his head again, “Shiro wouldn’t do something like that anyway, it’s like against tattoo code or something.”

 

“It’s in poor taste, is what it is,” Hunk agreed.

 

“I think it would be sweet,” Shay added in.

 

“To get someone’s name tattooed on your ass?” Lance asked, incredulous.

 

Shay shook her head, “no, I mean the sentiment behind it. To love someone so much you’re willing to put them on your body forever.”

 

“There’s more tasteful ways to do that than brand yourself with their name,” Hunk grumbled.

 

“Oh, baby,” Shay sighed, “I love that you put my mandala on your body.”

 

“Your mandala?” Lance asked.

 

Hunk nodded, “Shay drew it for me.”

 

“Awww!!” Lance put the icing aside to cup his cheeks with his palms, “that’s so sweet!”

 

Hunk blushed furiously and went back to his task as Shay giggled, “isn’t it? He didn’t tell me until after he got it done what it was for. I thought he wanted it for his mirror or something.” They worked in silence for a little while, then she asked, “is Keith part of your tattoo too?”

 

“Uh…yes? Part of it, but that’s all I’m saying!” Lance added quickly. Shay nodded with a knowing smile, and went back to her cookies. Lance followed suit, and they managed to finish all the orders by two o’clock, and hour before their scheduled pick up times.

 

After finishing the cookies, Lance got busy catching up on cleaning and restocking the front cases. Fortunately, despite being a Friday it was a relatively slow day, so there wasn’t much they had to catch up on as the day drew to a close. Right at four, Coran took pity on Lance’s nervous fidgeting and let him leave as they finished up.

 

“Go on! And good luck!” he called as Lance grabbed the bag he’d brought with a change of clothes and a few toiletries and headed out the front door.

 

“Thanks!” Lance called back, and paused when Hunk opened the door for him, “see ya later, big guy.”

 

“Have a good night, take good care of it after, okay?” Hunk patted Lance on the shoulder.

 

Lance grinned, “thanks, man, I will,” and left. He walked over to the Sub Shop first, picking up four sandwiches for himself and everyone at Voltron, then stopped by the cafe to get Pidge their second owed coffee before heading in to Voltron Tattoo, lifting the bags and cup, “I come bearing gifts!”

 

Pidge jumped up, taking the coffee and one of the bags, “your sacrifices are accepted.”

 

“Hey, that one’s mine and Keith’s,” Lance said, and Pidge switched bags with him. 

 

They headed back to the kitchen, Pidge calling out, “soup’s on!” as they dug into their bag. Keith and Shiro suddenly appeared from the back, Shiro joining Pidge at the table while Keith stood beside Lance to watch.

 

“Have they eaten at all today? Besides what you got from the Bakery?” Lance asked in a stage whisper.

 

“Shiro has,” Keith replied, “but Pidge constantly forgets to eat.”

 

“Hey! I resemble that statement,” said Pidge as they sat down with their sandwich. Shiro already digging into his own.

 

“C’mon,” Keith tugged Lance’s sleeve and sat down as well, Lance sitting next to him and handing over his sandwich. 

 

They all ate in relative silence, Shiro finally saying something when he’d almost finished, “thanks, Lance, I really needed that.”

 

“I could tell,” Lance teased with a grin.  
  
“How much do I owe you?”

 

“A tattoo.”

 

Pidge and Keith burst out laughing at the incredulous look on Shiro’s face, then he grinned back and shook his head, “you got me. Ready to get started?”

 

“No, but I don’t think that’ll change anytime soon,” Lance shrugged, and Keith put a comforting hand on his thigh.

 

“You don’t have to do it today,” Keith reassured him.  
  
“I know,” Lance smiled, “I’m just nervous.”

 

“Which is normal,” Shiro added when Keith opened his mouth again. “I’ll go get everything ready. It’ll take about ten minutes.” He got up from the table, tossed his trash, and washed his hands before heading out of the kitchen and into the back. Pidge went back to their sandwich, while Lance and Keith cleaned up their mess. Lance then grabbed his bag and went to the bathroom to freshen up and put on clean clothes. He didn’t want to smell like sweaty bakery guy while Shiro would be so close to him while shirtless. When he was almost finished, Shiro knocked on the bathroom door, “I’m ready when you are.”

 

“Okay!” Lance called, and hurried to finish up, taking the opportunity to pee and wash his hands. When he emerged, Keith handed him a bottle of water and followed him to the front. “So what’s first?” Lance asked.

 

“I need you to take off your shirt. Have you thought about where you want it?”

 

Lance shrugged as he pulled the t-shirt over his head, “not really, do you have any suggestions?”

 

“Your shoulder doesn’t have a nipple Shiro will need to avoid,” Keith supplied.

 

“Yeah, okay, that sounds good.”

 

Shiro chuckled and motioned Lance closer to the chair. When he came over, he opened the file containing Lance’s piece and picked up some stencil transfer sheets. “Left, correct?” he asked, and Lance nodded. He held one up to Lance’s shoulder, then another. “Keith,” he murmured, “which do you think?”

 

Keith walked up, careful to keep his face neutral as he spied the design through the back of the transfer paper, “that one,” he pointed at the slightly larger one.

 

“Yeah, I think so too. Here, Lance,” Shiro led Lance to a large mirror and held up the larger of the two stencils against his shoulder, “that’s the bigger one, and this,” he switched it with one that didn’t seem to fit in the space quite as well, “is the smaller one. What do you think?”

 

“I think the bigger one fits better,” Lance agreed, and Shiro nodded.

 

“Okay, come have a seat and we’ll get you prepped,” Shiro led Lance back to the seat, wincing in sympathy when Lance hissed at the coldness of the fake leather. “After the stencil is on, we can drape your shirt over the seat.”

 

“Thanks.”

 

Shiro gently cleaned Lance’s shoulder, shaving the area before very carefully placing the stencil and wetting the paper to transfer the temporary ink. He moved back, “go take a look in the mirror, make sure it’s where you want it.”

 

With a nod, Lance moved back to the mirror, standing close to examine the outlines of his design. He turned a little each way, moved his arm around, then lowered it with pursed lips, “yeah, it’s good.”

 

“You sure? Once I do it we can’t move it somewhere else,” Shiro warned.

 

“Yup, I’m sure.”

 

“Okay, we can get started then,” Shiro patted the chair again, and Lance noticed one of them had draped his shirt over its back. He smiled, grateful, and returned to the seat. Keith pulled up a chair to his right while Shiro settled on his left. “You already know how loud it gets, but now you’re gonna feel it, too. Take Keith’s hand if you need to, and let me know if you want me to stop, but I’ll need you to sit still okay?”

 

“Yeah, okay,” Lance was already groping for Keith’s hand before Shiro stopped talking, and Keith obliged him by taking his hand in both of his own.

 

Shiro started the gun, then dipped into the first color and got to work. Lance sucked in a sharp breath, but stayed perfectly still. Keith stroked his thumb over the back of Lance’s hand, reaching up to card through his hair with the other. He looked at the redraw Shiro set out as reference and smiled, “I like it.”

 

“Y-yeah?” Lance asked.

 

“Yeah. Wanna tell me about it?” Keith asked, hoping to distract Lance a little.

 

Lance latched on to the opportunity, “sure, okay,” he cleared his throat, “the-the moons are…well, me, and my Bisexuality. The stars are…uh, all of you-“

 

“Who is what color?” Keith cut in, sure Lance was going to gloss over that.

 

“Uh, you’re red, then Shiro is purple, Allura is pink, Coran is orange-“

 

“Fitting.”

 

“Right? Then, um, Stella and Charlie share the other big one. Stella is lavender and Charlie is turquoise, then Pidge is green, Hunk is yellow, and Shay is the coral one.”

 

“And the waves?”

 

“My parents.”

 

“Lance…”

 

“I know, but they’re…they’re trying, and even so they raised me and loved me and shaped who I am…”

 

“It’s perfect.”

 

Lance smiled over at Keith, who looked awed at the amount of love and care he put into the piece Shiro was permanently marking on his body. Suddenly, the pain and discomfort didn’t seem so overwhelming.

 

They had to take two breaks, first one Lance started shaking enough that Shiro had to stop until he got some calories and water, the second because he had to pee again.

 

Shiro leaned back with a sigh when he was finished, “done.” He cleaned up the area and pulled out a bottle of aftercare lotion, “do you want to use this kind? Or did you bring your own?”

 

“That one’s fine,” Lance replied, “like I’d know which brand to get anyway. You’re the artist, you know best.”

 

Shiro chuckled, and set the bottle aside, “go take a look before I cover it up.”

 

Keith helped Lance get up, and followed him to the mirror where he stopped nearly mid-stride to stare. He shuffled closer, mouth hanging half-open as he stared at the finished piece. It covered the top of his shoulder and reached nearly half way down his upper arm. “Shiro,” he whispered, lip trembling, “Shiro it’s perfect.”

 

“It’ll look even better when it heals,” Shiro replied as he started gathering the disposable things and tossing them in the trash.

 

“Lance? Are you okay?” Keith asked, gentle hand rubbing his other shoulder as a tear streaked down Lance’s face.

 

“Huh?” Lance scrubbed at his eyes, wincing when the movement scrunched the tender skin, “yeah, I’m okay. Just a little emotional.” 

 

Keith smiled and pressed a kiss on the same shoulder, “c’mon, let’s get this covered up.”

 

“Wait!” Pidge cried, jumping up from their desk, “I wanna see!” They rushed over to stand beside Lance before they caught themselves, “can I?”

 

“Sure,” Lance smiled, “you’re in it, so I can’t really say no, can I?”

 

“True.” Pidge moved to Lance’s other side and looked over the piece, “it suits you.”

 

“Thanks.” He chuckled when Pidge awkwardly patted his arm and went back to their desk, then turned to Shiro, who was waiting with gauze in hand.

 

He placed the piece of folded gauze over the tattoo, then wrapped his upper arm and shoulder with plastic wrap and taped it down, “do you have any questions about after care? I know Keith is going home with you to help.”

 

“I think I’m good,” said Lance as he watched his new piece get covered in gauze and plastic. He blinked when his shirt was suddenly held in front of him, held open at the left arm hole by Keith. He frowned, but remembered the pull when he wiped his face, and let Keith help him get it back on.

 

“So, c’mon Shiro. I know I owe you something,” Lance tried, but all it got him was a huff of laughter and a shake of Shiro’s head.

 

“Nope, we’re even,” Shiro insisted, “just take good care of it.”

 

“Yeah, okay,” Lance swallowed, fingers trailing over the bandage through his shirt, “thank you.”

 

“It was my pleasure.”

 

With a few more pleasantries, and some joking insults between Keith and Pidge, Lance and Keith left through the back and each drove their own cars back to Lance’s apartment. When they made it inside, Lance flopped onto his back on the couch while Keith set his bag between the bedroom and bathroom doors.

 

Lance checked his phone and sighed, “it’s only seven, and I’m exhausted!”

 

“That’s normal,” Keith pet Lance’s hair as he walked by on his way to the kitchen. He pulled down two glasses and filled them from the tap, then returned to the couch and nudged Lance’s feet. “Here,” he said, holding out one of the glasses, “you need to stay hydrated.”

 

Lance sat up with a groan and accepted the glass, downing half right away. “How long should I keep the bandage on before bed?”

 

“Actually we need to take it off now to clean it, because we’ll cover it again before bed,” Keith sat next to Lance and leaned back, taking a drink from his glass.

 

Lance hummed and finished his water, then got up and made his way into the kitchen. Keith went to the bathroom first, then joined Lance with two wash cloths and a small towel. Lance removed his shirt and hopped up on the counter, then Keith gently peeled off the tape and plastic wrap. He lifted the corner of the gauze to see if it was stuck to his skin. It was, but not much, so he gently lifted it and examined the tattoo.

 

“How’s it look?” Lance asked.

 

Keith nodded, “good. I’m going to clean it now.” Lance nodded, and Keith ran the tap, wetting the wash cloth he had sitting to the side. He gently dabbed over the ink, then cleaned it with anti-bacterial soap and rinsed it off with another clean wash cloth. He took another towel to gently dry it and asked, “so how are you gonna pay Shiro back?”

 

“Huh? What do you mean?” Lance tried to play innocent. Keith laughed.

 

“I know him, and I know you. He’ll never take payment, but you’ll feel bad until you’ve actually squared up with him. So, what are you gonna do?”

 

“Hunk told me how he paid for your pastries to pay Shiro back. I was thinking of doing the same.”

 

“Nice,” Keith grinned as he went to his bag to retrieve the after care lotion, “Pidge and I figured it out, because we’re usually the ones that bring the invoice over for Shiro to pay, but he never realized that he didn’t get one for, like, three months.” He came back and gently worked a little of the lotion over the tattoo.

 

Lance laughed at that, “that’s crazy! Yeah, I’m definitely doing that. How long do you think I should do it for?”

 

“Hmm,” Keith pursed his lips in thought, “the voucher paid for the ink and supplies for sure, and your time helping Sunday night covers most of the labor. So, I’d say two or three weeks?”

 

“That’s it?”

 

“Yup.”

 

“No way, this is worth more than-“

 

“I promise, Lance, that’s it.”

 

Lance huffed and started to cross his arms, but his shoulder twinged, so with a wince he lowered his hands back down, “fine.” He definitely planned to pay for more than just three weeks worth, but chose not to say anything about it. He yawned, blinking tears from his eyes, and remembered, “hey, you were gonna tell me about your tattoos.”

 

“Oh, right,” Keith shifted back to pull his hoodie and t-shirt off. His back was bare, except for the roses that wrapped around from the sides of his neck. His arms each had two pieces, and his lower chest had more roses that matched the ones on his neck. “This was my first one,” he started, pointing at the roses on his chest, “I didn’t put much thought in it, I just like the way Shiro does roses. I’m planning to have him expand this when I’ve got more pieces to link them all together.” He then brushed his fingers on the roses at his neck, “this is part of that, I wanted to have them like a shirt collar, and because even with my hoodie you can still see them.” Lance chuckled at that, and Keith smirked. Lance touched the black lion surrounded by fire on his right shoulder and Keith said, “that’s Shiro. He loves lions, and I like fire.” He reached around to his left shoulder, which showed a phoenix mid-flight, “this was my second piece. I got it when I stopped being Shiro’s apprentice and was able to call myself a tattoo artist on my own. That was around the same time Dr. Iverson stopped wanting to see me every week because I was doing a lot better.” He lowered his arms, showing the last two tattoos, one on the top of his left forearm, the other on the inside on the right. He touched the symbol on his left arm, “these are…my reminders. Dad was big into our family history, and this was our family’s symbol way back when. Apparently we weren’t good enough for a crest, but this was used on like the wax seals and stuff. It’s called Marmora. And this one,” he turned his right arm to show the writing on its inside, “is pretty self explanatory.”

 

“Yeah,” Lance breathed, fingers tracing the words. He never needed an explanation for this one, except, “whose handwriting is it?”

 

“Mom’s,” Keith replied, “it was in my birthday card that day.” His mother’s flowing script was stark black against the pale inside of his arm, _‘You’re going to do amazing things one day! We will always believe in you. Love, Mom and Dad.’_

 

“Thank you for sharing that with me,” Lance said, voice quiet. Keith sniffed and leaned toward Lance to rest his forehead against Lance’s stomach. Lance smiled and wrapped his right arm around Keith’s shoulders, careful to leave the left down as Keith slid his arms around Lance’s waist. They sat there, Lance rubbing Keith’s back while Keith snuggled closer, until Lance yawned again and slumped forward into Keith.

 

“Okay, it’s been long enough, let’s get you ready for bed,” Keith announced as he stood up and helped Lance down, “do your thing first, then we’ll take re-cover your tattoo.” Lance nodded and shuffled off to the bathroom with another yawn.

 

Once in, he started his nightly routine automatically, thankful for muscle memory that got him through each step automatically. When he finished, Keith was waiting for him on the bed, his glass of water refilled on the night stand, more gauze, plastic wrap, and tape in Keith’s lap. Lance changed into pajama pants and grabbed a shirt, then sat on the bed to let Keith wrap him back up. First gauze, then the plastic wrap, and finally the tape to hold it all in place.

 

“There,” Keith said, and gathered the leftover supplied, “drink some more water, okay?” Lance hummed, reaching for the water as Keith left the room, “I’m going to get ready for bed.”

 

Lance drank his glass of water, then put on his shirt and settled into a comfortable position under the covers. By the time he’d gotten comfortable without laying on his left side, Keith was turning off the lights and sliding in beside him.

 

“Having a hard time getting comfy?” he asked.

 

“Ugh, yeah. I thought my left shoulder would be better since I’m right handed, but I usually sleep on my left side,” Lance grumbled, then sighed.

 

“Once it heals you’ll be able to sleep like you normally do,” Keith said comfortingly as he settled against the head board.

 

Lance rolled onto his right side to face Keith and settled down with another sigh. Keith, ever thoughtful, unlocked his phone and dimmed the screen as low as it went as his other hand buried itself in Lance’s hair. “What are you doing?” Lance asked through a yawn.

 

“I’m gonna read some, maybe play a game ‘till I’m sleepy,” Keith said quietly.

 

“Mh, okay,” Lance snuggled under the covers and closed his eyes, “night, baby, love you.”

 

“Good night, Lance, love you too.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am constantly overwhelmed at the amount of love you all are showing me through every chapter I post here. Kudos, comments, subscriptions, even reblogs on [tumblr](http://krysblack.tumblr.com). Please know I love you all, and it warms my heart to see that you're enjoying my writing, especially as this is only my second story not only in the Voltron fandom, but posted anywhere publicly overall (and like the fifth story I've ever started!)
> 
> Check our Lance's tattoo sketch [here](https://krysblack.tumblr.com/post/169315871657/tattoo-preview)
> 
> Okay, now onto my personal bit:
> 
> I joined the Voltron fandom (and tumblr) only shortly before I posted my first story "Caught", which was just a one-shot that I then added a second chapter to. In that short time (literally 3 months!) I've come to realize that I myself am Bisexual. I come from a very conservative family, with the same beliefs that I wrote of Lance's parents, who would probably react similarly to how they did in the beginning. Granted, I'm almost 31, married (to a conservative Christian man), with two children, but I can see my parents 'disowning' me if I came out. I can see my husband ending our marriage if he found out. So unlike Lance, I will choose to keep this secret from the people I know in 'real life', and will be myself online, here and on tumblr.
> 
> Anyway, the tattoo I designed for Lance, outside of the stars representing his new family, is something I'd love to get myself if I ever had the courage to wear the Bi flag colors proudly. I am considering getting something either in those colors, or with the double crescent as a subtle way of showing my 'rebellion', but that's another story I suppose.
> 
> Again, I love you all, and hope you had a great holiday! Happy New Year!
> 
> <3<3


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hunk's birthday party! And a little drama ;)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Agh! You guys, I've been slacking SO BAD. My schedule with taking the boy to school has seriously thrown everything off and I'm having a hard time recovering. Hubby has recently agreed to take him to school, which gives me time in the mornings to get things done around the house and sit at my laptop, phew! I literally wrote this chapter in just a few days with the new time I have on my hands, yay! Ha. Haha. May and summer can't come soon enough.

“Shay?”

 

“Mm?”

 

“Are you guys doing anything for Hunk’s birthday?”

 

Lance had been looking for an opportunity to talk to Shay alone since Sunday. It was now Wednesday and the stars finally aligned to give him a chance with Hunk out of the shop on a run to Publix.

 

“Did you not get the invitation I stuck to your locker?” Shay asked with a tilt of her head. She was filling a piping bag with hot pink icing, trays of cupcake shaped cookies lined up behind her.

 

Lance frowned. “Uh, no?”

 

Shay furrowed her brow. “I taped it to your locker, number fifteen, right?”

 

“Seventeen,” Lance replied and set down his own piping bag. He chuckled as Shay huffed in embarrassment. “You were close!” he called over his shoulder as he made his way to the lockers. Sure enough, there was a small enveloped taped to the locker next to his, one that fortunately was unclaimed. “Found it!” He lifted the envelope from the locker door and opened the tucked in flap to see a simple note on card stock:

 

_Lance,_

 

_We would love to have you join us on Saturday, January 13th at 6 PM, to celebrate Hunk’s birthday at Taste. Your presence is the only gift we ask of you._

 

_Hunk and Shay_

 

Lance immediately got his phone from his back pocket to put the party in his calendar. “Who else did you invite?”

 

“Everyone,” Shay replied, “Shiro always closes the shop early so they can all come too.”

 

“Nice! How fancy do I need to dress for this place?” he asked as he came back to their station and picked up his piping bag, this one yellow. He resumed drawing the cupcake bottoms while Shay started doing the tops with the pink.

 

“Oh, you don’t have to dress up too fancy. No suits or anything, but something a little nicer than just casual.”

 

“Sweats and a hole-y tank top it is, then.”

 

Shay laughed. “I know you’d never be caught dead looking like that.”

 

Lance mock scowled at her. “Spoil sport.”

 

Just then, Hunk returned. “I’m back!” he called into the kitchen, “and I found our boss wandering around outside, thought I’d bring him in!”

 

“Good job, sweetie!” Shay replied.

 

“I was enjoying a leisurely stroll through the park, I’ll have you know,” Coran said with a laugh. He headed straight to his office to drop off his bag, then came back into the kitchen to see how Lance and Shay were coming with the cookies. “I’m impressed, Lance. I think I’ll give you your own set of cookies to do for Valentines next month.”

 

“Uh…” Lance flushed and pulled away from the cookie he was working on. His hands were shaking. “A-are you sure? I mean…I dunno…”

 

“Nonsense, you’ve done marvelously so far!” Coran waved him off. At the tinkle of the door’s bell, he wandered to the front. “Welcome to Altea Bakery! What can I get for you today?”

 

“Lance.” Shay bumped shoulders with Lance, who jumped a bit and stared at her wide-eyed. “Valentines cookies are usually really simple, okay? Nothing more intricate than that big order last week.”

 

Lance steadied himself with a long, deep breath. “Okay. Okay, I can do that. Yeah.” He shook himself and went back to his task, finishing off the last three cookies. Shay smiled at him as he swapped the yellow for neon blue, and moved to the first cookies to stripe sprinkles all over the hot pink icing.

 

****

 

**Lancey Lance**

Baby! Do you want to go to Hunk’s shindig together?

 

 

**Keef**

Do you even have to ask?

 

 

**Lancey Lance**

Well, yea! 

 

But 

 

I meant

 

Do you wanna meet up at mine or yours and go together, or am I gonna meet you there?

 

 

**Keef**

Oh

 

Shiro’s closing at 4 to give us all time to go home and get ready

 

So yeah, I can meet you at yours and we’ll ride together.

 

 

**Lancey Lance**

Great!

 

I’m off Friday, do you wanna come stay tomorrow night?

 

 

**Keef**

You know I do. Don’t wait up, though, ok?

 

 

**Lancey Lance**

Yea, yea, I know.

 

Gotta go, break time’s over

 

Love you!

 

 

**Keef**

Love you

 

——

 

His bedroom door opening roused Lance from his light sleep. He rolled to his back to see Keith, already undressed, making his quiet way to the bed. “Hey you.”

 

“Lance,” Keith murmured and slid between the sheets, “sorry I woke you up.”

 

Lance hummed and snuggled close to Keith. “Wanted to at least say hi,” he mumbled into Keith’s chest, “besides, this is gonna be the norm soon anyway, right?”

 

Keith heaved a deep sigh, then pressed a kiss to Lance’s hair. “True.” 

 

They lay quietly together for a minute, then Lance lifted his head and pressed his lips to Keith’s jaw. He made a quiet noise of displeasure and tried again, this time getting Keith’s chin. He huffed when Keith chuckled and took pity on him, angling his face so Lance could kiss his lips. Lance hummed happily when he hit the mark, giving Keith two, three, four, five little chaste pecks. “Okay, now I can go to sleep,” he whispered and laid his head back on Keith’s chest.

 

Keith smiled fondly and held Lance close. He opened his mouth to reply, but a quiet snore from Lance stopped him. He took a deep breath, pressed another kiss to the top of Lance’s head, and closed his eyes.

 

****

 

Soft, warm, wet heat.

 

“Hmm…” Lance turned his head and sighed, slowly coming awake at the heady sensation around his cock. “Uh.” His eyes snapped open and he looked down. His sheet was covering a rather large lump just over his groin, and it was bobbing up and down. “Oh, fuck!” He quickly whipped the sheet away, uncovering Keith, who had his nose buried in Lance’s pubic hair and an arm stretched behind him, hand disappearing over his rear. “Wha-oh! Ah! What are you doing?”

 

Keith hummed, causing Lance to groan, and slid off his cock, letting it fall out of his mouth with a ‘pop’. “What’s it look like?” he asked with a smirk.

 

Lance let his head fall back onto the covers, chest heaving. “Looks like you’re sucking me off and fingering yourself.”

 

“Thought we could switch things up,” Keith licked a stripe up Lance’s cock, “what do you think?”

 

“Uh,” Lance’s eloquence caused Keith to chuckle, “uh, but…but you…you said you prefer to top.”

 

Keith raised his brows. “I also said I switch, which means,” he jerked and moaned, and Lance nearly did as well at the look on his face, “which means that sometimes I’ll be in the mood to bottom.”

 

“Oh.” Lance propped himself up on his elbows to get a better look at Keith. His face and chest were flushed, and his eyes were hazy with pleasure. “How long have you been busy?”

 

“About five minutes. You were already hard, so I decided to take advantage of the situation—” Keith paused, eyes widening as realization dawned on his face. He sat up, fingers slipping from his ass to balance on the bed. “Oh, shit. Lance, is…is this okay? I didn’t…” he gulped audibly, “didn’t even ask!”

 

Lance, reeling from the sudden change, sat up and reached out to Keith, fingers skimming over his arms. Keith let himself be drawn close, and Lance pressed a kiss to his temple. “It’s okay, baby. I trust you, and I know you wouldn’t hurt me. I don’t mind, really.”

 

“But I still should have talked to you about this before I ever touched you,” Keith mumbled as he wrapped his arms around Lance, “I’m so sorry.”

 

“Hey,” Lance nudged Keith’s chin, tipping his face up to make eye contact, “it’s okay. I promise.” He pressed a gentle kiss to the corner of Keith’s mouth and grinned when he pulled back to waggle his eyebrows. “You have my express permission to wake me up like that whenever the urge strikes you.” Keith let out a relieved chuckle, and Lance’s grin turned into a smile. “Now, I think we were talking about us switching things up?” He waggled his eyebrows again as his cock twitched in interest.

 

“Hmm? Oh,” Keith’s eye caught on Lance’s cock moving, and smiled, “yeah. Yeah, I’m ready, let’s do it.” He shuffled around to lay on his back while Lance snorted at his pun. He tugged at Lance’s arm to bring him in, legs spread to let him settle between them. Lance paused there, lip caught between his teeth, and Keith asked, “you okay?” as he picked up the condom he set on his pillow before he got started.

 

Lance automatically took the condom and ripped it open, then shook himself. “Ye-yeah,” he coughed to get the sudden tickle out of his throat, “I’m just, uh, well I’m a little nervous.” He rolled the condom onto his cock with a hiss, then found the lube on the night stand and slicked himself liberally. “Oh geez…tell me—“ he swallowed—“tell me what to do. Please.”

 

Keith drew his knees up and back, revealing his slick, stretched hole. “Line it up and push. Be slow, gentle but firm. It helps to hold your cock in place so it doesn’t slip away.”

 

“Okay.” Lance did as he was told, grabbing the base of his cock to line it up with Keith’s hole. He felt it flutter against the head of his cock and shivered at the sensation before seating his knees more firmly in the mattress and pressing forward. For a moment, he felt that it wasn’t going to go in. He pressed a little more as Keith encouraged him forward, and finally the head popped through the ring of muscle. Lance cried out as Keith moaned, hips jerking forward to slide in nearly half way before he stopped himself. “Oh shit, sorry, sorry!”

 

Keith shook his head and tilted his hips up. “It’s ok, I’m good, I’m good. Keep going.”

 

Lance shuddered and he pressed forward again, sliding smooth and slow all the way in until his hips rested against Keith’s thighs. “Oh my god…”

 

“You okay?” Keith asked again, eyes concerned.

 

“Fuck,” Lance replied, “I chose the wrong tattoo.”

 

“…what?”

 

“I’m gay, I’m so gay, oh fuck…”

 

Keith couldn’t help himself, he burst out laughing. When Lance joined in, he let go of his legs to wrap them around Lance’s waist. Once he calmed himself enough, he caught Lance’s eye and said, “don’t tell Shiro, or he’ll demand to fix your tattoo.”

 

“Wha—“ Lance laughed again, thankfully this time a little more controlled, “oh man.” He wiped at his eyes, then planted his hands on the mattress beside Keith’s waist. “I actually had a little identity crisis the first time we had sex,” he admitted, “but, while you may have ruined me for anyone else, I’m definitely still Bi”

 

“Of course you are,” Keith chuckled, “but let’s focus on what’s happening here.” With a smirk, he tightened himself around Lance’s cock.

 

Lance cried out, body jerking forward in an attempt to bury himself deeper into Keith. “F-fuck! Oh, shit, babe, don’t do that unless you want me to come,” he said, voice strained. He was trembling with the effort to not come, and pitched forward to bury his face in the crook of Keith’s neck. Keith’s hands smoothed across his back, and he took a deep breath, relaxing a little into the comforting touch. Once he felt himself under control, he propped himself on his forearms and began to move; first a slow drag out half way, then an equally slow push back in with a groan.

 

Keith hummed and buried his fingers in Lance’s hair, watching him through half-lidded eyes. Lance slowly picked up the pace and Keith arched into it, his hums of appreciation turning into huffs, then moans. 

 

Soon Lance was thrusting in earnest, and pushed himself up onto his hands. He shifted his hips to angle his cock up, and slowed down his thrusts in search of Keith’s prostate. It only took him a few tries until he felt Keith tighten around him and shudder as he cried out.

 

“Yes! Lance, right there!” Keith arched his back, hips angling to help Lance hit the right spot again and again.

 

Lance picked up the pace again, hitting Keith’s prostate more often than not, and grunted, “fuck, fuck, oh fuck, baby, I’m close, what do I—“ he choked off in a moan.

 

Keith immediately reached down and wrapped his hand around his own cock, tugging hard and fast. He drew close to orgasm faster than he anticipated, and his whole body began to tense in anticipation. He let out little ‘oh, oh’s as his legs drew back and his back arched. With one more thrust of Lance’s cock agains his prostate he groaned, loud and long, and came over his chest and stomach.

 

With a few more jerky thrusts, Lance followed Keith into orgasm, hips moving on their own to draw out the sensation for both of them. Soon his hips stopped and his trembling arms couldn’t hold him up any more. He slumped forward onto Keith again, grimacing as Keith’s cum squished between them. Lance tucked his face against Keith’s neck again, and Keith’s hands returned to Lance’s back, holding him close as their chests heaved.

 

“How—“ Lance swallowed, his throat dry— “how was it?”

 

“So good,” Keith replied immediately.

 

They lay like that for another minute, then Keith asked, “what about you?”

 

“Hmm?”

 

“Did you like it?”

 

“Oh yea.”

 

“Enough to do it again sometime?”

 

“Mm-hmm.”

 

Keith pursed his lips. Lance could feel a little tension in his body, but waited for Keith to say or ask on his own. It wasn’t long for Keith to ask, “which do you like better?”

 

Lance paused, that wasn’t what he thought would have been bothering Keith. Why would he be afraid of the answer? _Duh, if you like topping more that would be a problem, wouldn’t it?_ He took a moment to compose himself, as that thought had him almost giggling. “Don’t worry, babe. This was fun, but I definitely like bottoming better.”

 

“You’re not just saying that, are you?”

 

“Really?” Lance asked, incredulous. He lifted his head to catch Keith’s eye, holding his gaze. “Remember when you said I might prefer bottoming?” Keith nodded. “You were right.” Lance grinned as Keith snorted. “No, really! I mean, c’mon, you can make me come with just your cock! Which do you think I’m going to prefer?” He chuckled when Keith just rolled his eyes and pushed his face away. This caused their now stuck chests to begin peeling apart. Lance grimaced, pushing himself up to fully separate their chests. “Ugh, oh gross…” He pulled back far enough to slip out of Keith’s ass as well, and gasped at the sensation, falling back to sit on his own ass on the bed.

 

Keith shivered and reached for Lance and whined, “no, it’s cold!”

 

“Then come shower with me,” Lance replied as he pulled the condom off his dick and tied the end. “What time is it anyway?”

 

Keith reached out toward the night stand and picked up Lance’s phone. “Ten thirty.”

 

“When do you need to leave?”

 

“Eleven forty-five.”

 

“Good.” Lance got up, tossed the condom in the trash, and grabbed Keith’s arm to haul him up. “C’mon. Brush teeth, then we can kiss in the shower.”

 

“Damn, that’s what was missing!” Keith mused as he followed Lance up and to the bathroom.

 

****

 

“Ready?” Keith asked, checking himself in Lance’s closet mirror one more time. He was wearing his darkest black skinny jeans and a red and black flannel over a black tank top. His leather jacket was hung by the door above his red chucks. He had his hair pulled back in a messy pony tail, something he was doing more often after Lance admitted he thought Keith looked ‘extra hot’ with it.

 

“Almost!” came Lance’s reply as he walked in from the bathroom. Keith moved out of the way, watching Lance walk by in a pair of red skinny jeans and white tank top.

 

“Are those new?” Keith asked, hooking a finger through a belt loop of Lance’s jeans.

 

Lance hummed in affirmative as he flipped through his small collection of flannel shirts. He pulled two out, one black and white, the other red and navy blue. He held the two shirts up, one after the other. “What do you think?”

 

Keith watched Lance switch back and forth between the two shirts, then took the red and navy away from him and put it back in the closet. “Navy doesn’t go with my outfit.”

 

“True,” Lance chuckled and took the shirt off its hanger. He handed the hanger to Keith and shrugged into the shirt, rolling the sleeves up his forearms. They stood together, looking in the mirror, and Lance smiled. “We’re gonna be that couple that wears those ‘if lost, return to Keith’ and ‘I’m Keith’ shirts when we’re old, aren’t we?”

 

Keith slid his arms around Lance’s waist. “Probably.” He pressed a kiss under Lance’s ear, then  pulled away. “C’mon, time to go.”

 

They pulled on shoes and jackets, then got in Keith’s car and were on their way to Hunk’s party.

 

——

 

Despite being a Friday night, Taste wasn’t nearly as busy as it had been over the winter holidays, and Keith easily found a decent parking spot. Once inside, Keith waved to the hostess, and she pointed them in the right direction.

 

They found their friends on the side patio, mingling and chatting easily. Matt was the first to notice them, and raised his glass. “Hey! You made it!”

 

Hunk turned, Shay on his arm, and grinned at them. Lance bounded over to wrap him in a tight hug, while Keith rolled his eyes, but bumped Hunk’s proffered fist with his own. “Thanks for coming.”

 

“Wouldn’t miss it,” Lance replied, then moved on to press a kiss on Shay’s cheek before making his way to greet everyone else there. Keith stood by Hunk and Shay, sharing a fond look with them, then turning to watch his lover do his thing.

 

“You look happy,” Hunk said quietly.

 

Keith shrugged, but his neck flushed. “I am.”

 

“Good,” Hunk nodded, then paused and turned to look at Keith directly, “will you be okay here tonight? I asked Narti to have Ezor take care of us, and subtly hinted that someone else should be given the night off.”

 

“I’ll be fine,” Keith replied after a slight pause, eyes still tracking Lance as he finished his round and made his way back over. Hunk simply nodded again.

 

Lance draped his arm around Keith’s shoulder and frowned at their tense set. When he raised a brow, Keith shook his head but slid his own arm around Lance’s waist. Satisfied that whatever was bothering Keith wasn’t about him, Lance turned to Hunk. “I like this place. It’s nice, but also casual, like a good place to chill.”

 

“That’s why Hunk picks it almost every year,” Shay chimed in with a wink. Hunk shrugged with a grin.

 

“Even though Keith avoids this place unless we’re all here with him,” Shiro’s voice carried from next to Lance, where he’d snuck up to join the conversation.

 

Keith let out a quiet groan. “Shiro,” he warned. A shrug was his only reply.

  
Lance looked at Keith in concern. “You don’t like this place?” It was Keith’s turn to shrug. Hunk frowned but didn’t say anything.

 

Shiro wasn’t so reserved. “He likes the place fine, it’s Lotor he has a problem with.”

 

“Who’s Lotor?” Lance asked.

 

“Nobody—“ Keith tried to say.

 

“The owner’s son,” Shiro spoke over him, “he took a liking to Keith our first time here and won’t leave him alone any time he sees him.” He shrugged. “He’s harmless, as far as I can tell, and Mr. Z, the owner, doesn’t put up with it when he’s here.”

 

Just then, a waitress with a neon pink ponytail approached their little group with a smile. “Happy birthday, Hunk! You guys about ready for the spread? It’s coming up in a few minutes.”

 

“Thanks, Ezor,” Hunk replied with a smile.

 

She winked back, then turned her attention on Keith and Lance. “Who’s this?”

 

“Lance,” Keith replied, “my boyfriend.”

 

Ezor’s brows, also pink, shot up to disappear under her bangs. Her smile faltered for a second, then came back as a pleased grin. “Nice to meet you, I’m Ezor. I’ll be taking care of you for the evening. You boys want a drink? Keith, Jack and coke?”

 

“No, thanks. Sweet tea.”

 

“Same for me,” said Lance.

 

“Sure thing,” Ezor said and turned to leave, then paused and looked back at Keith, “he’s not here.” Keith’s shoulders relaxed under Lance’s arm. He nodded, and Ezor winked, then disappeared into the restaurant.

 

“This guy that bad?” Lance asked.

 

“Kind of,” Keith shrugged, “Shiro says he’s harmless, but I just get this vibe that he might not be if pushed far enough. And even though Mr. Z doesn’t tolerate it in front of us, he hasn’t done anything to stop it from happening in the first place.”

 

Lance frowned. “I’m glad he’s not here then.”

 

They moved aside when Ezor returned, two servers following her, each carrying a large tray loaded with dishes. They arranged the plates on two tables set off to the side, then Ezor announced the food ready to eat. Everyone moved to the tables, picking up plates and selecting items from the different appetizer-style dishes, then sat themselves around the two round tables set for them. Ezor returned with Lance and Keith’s drinks, and gasped when she turned around to leave. She made a few aborted gestures, then turned back and ducked down close between Lance and Keith’s heads.

 

“I lied,” she murmured, voice panicked, “he just showed up. We’ll try to keep him away from the patio.”

 

Keith sighed, but looked at Ezor with understanding, “thanks for letting me know.”

 

“Yeah,” she sounded distracted, her eyes were focused on the restaurant, “sorry, Keith.” Then she was gone, and closed the patio doors behind her.

 

Lance shared a look with Keith before realizing their whole table had gone silent. He looked around to see everyone else watching them.

 

Coran cleared his throat and offered, “this may be fortuitous.” He held up his hands when he heard scoffing and a disbelieving ‘what the hell!?’. “Think about it. Keith is no longer available, and Lotor seeing it with his own eyes should put an end to this situation.”

 

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Keith said hesitantly, “you know the vibe I get from him.”

 

Shiro pursed his lips. “It wouldn’t hurt to try.” It took a few moments, but everyone but Lance and Pidge ended up nodding their assent.

 

“You guys are nuts,” they cut in, “that dude has more than just a few loose screws, and this is a bad idea.”

 

“Either way,” Allura’s voice strained, “he’s noticed us, and he doesn’t look happy.”

 

Hunk groaned and rubbed his face. “Why did I pick this place?”

 

“Because the food is too good to stay away,” Shay replied with a gentle pat to Hunk’s shoulder.

 

“I’m sorry, Hunk. I shouldn’t have come,” Keith muttered and made to stand. 

 

Hunk, sitting next to him, gripped his shoulder and kept him seated. “No, I should have picked another restaurant. This isn’t fair to you, how this guy makes you uncomfortable.” He glanced over his shoulder, and frowned when Lotor’s eyes met his. He shook his head, and sighed in relief when Lotor scowled and walked off. “He’s gone, for now. Let’s eat and hope he gets the hint.”

 

Conversation lulled after that for a few minutes, everyone eating quietly, until Matt commented on the quality of the food. Things flowed easily after that, the closed door giving them a sense of privacy. It seemed Lotor would leave them alone, and he was quickly pushed to the backs of minds or forgotten completely. It was turning out into a great evening.

 

After two return trips to the buffet, and a refill of sweet tea, Lance excused himself and wandered into the restaurant. The hostess pointed him in the right direction without prompt, and Lance made his way to the bathroom. It was empty when he went in, which was not in his favor when Lotor walked in as he was washing his hands.

 

“Hello,” Lotor started, his smile overly sweet and so, so fake.

 

Lance had a brief moment of panic, but decided to play nice and get out quick. “Hi.”

 

Lotor brushed his long, pale blonde hair behind his ear. “I’m Lotor. I’ve never seen you with Keith’s group of friends before.”

 

“Lance,” Lance replied, “I just moved here in April. Nice to meet you.” He tried to move past Lotor and back out into the restaurant, but Lotor backed into the door and leaned against it, his smile turning sharp.

 

“I see,” he purred, “I also noticed you’re rather…close with Keith. I should tell you now, that’s not a good idea.”

 

Lance moved back to the sink, putting space between himself and Lotor. “No?”

 

“No.”

 

“Why is that?”

 

Lotor took a step toward Lance. “Because Keith is mine.”

 

Lance frowned, but held his ground. “What makes you think that?”

 

“Think? I don’t think that, I know it.” Another two steps, and now Lotor was crowding Lance against the sink. “So, it’d be ever so kind of you to back off.”

 

“Too late,” Lance said and looked up at Lotor, shoulders back and spine straight, hoping to convey a confidence he currently didn’t feel.

 

“Excuse me?”

 

“Keith is my boyfriend.” Lance knew this was a huge mistake the minute those words left his mouth. 

 

Lotor’s face clouded over with anger, and suddenly his hands were locked around Lance’s biceps. He spun them around and backed Lance into the opposite wall. “How…how _dare_ you! Keith is _mine!_ ” He pulled Lance forward, then pushed him back agains the wall, knocking Lance’s head into the tile. Lance cried out, then whimpered when Lotor’s fingers tightened around his arms. “Such a slut,” he muttered harshly, “throwing yourself at someone already taken. Does he know? What a slut you are?”

 

Lance grimaced through the pain blooming on the back of his head. “Fuck you.” The bathroom door opened, and a man who looked to be an older version of Lotor poked his head in. His eyes locked on Lance, who called out, “hey! A little help here?” The man’s gaze tracked to Lotor, who didn’t bother turning around. He sighed, shook his head, and retreated, letting the door shut behind him. Lance squirmed in Lotor’s grip, panic starting to set in. “Hey! Hey! No, don’t leave! Don’t—“ he choked off when Lotor’s hand clamped around his neck and gave a squeeze.

 

“Shut up,” Lotor hissed, “or I’ll shut you up.” Lance choked on a cry, eyes widening when Lotor’s hand squeezed harder around his neck. Tears welled in his eyes as Lotor’s other hand slid across his chest and down to the waistband of his jeans. “If we show Keith what a slut you are, he’ll come back to me.” He moved to pop the button on Lance’s jeans when the bathroom door opened again.

 

“Lance? You oka—“ Keith froze for barely a second as he took in the sight before him. Lance, pressed to the wall with Lotor’s hand around his neck, his other hand pawing at his pants. With a growl he yanked on Lotor’s shoulder, pulling him around. Lotor’s eyes widened a fraction, then settled into his most innocent expression. He opened his mouth, but Keith didn’t give him a chance to say anything. He pulled back and punched Lotor across the face, knocking him to the floor. Keith then turned to Lance, who was crouched down on the floor, fingers rubbing at his neck and staring at Lotor prone on the floor. Keith turned to the restaurant, “Narti! Get Shiro for me please,” propped the bathroom door open, and crouched beside Lance.

 

Lance startled and looked up at Keith, eyes red with unshed tears. At Keith’s gentle tugging, Lance fell against him and heaved a shuddering breath. Thankfully, Shiro came in just after, coming to a stop at the door to view the scene. “What happened?”

 

“I came in to check on Lance,” Keith began, “and saw Lotor with his hand around his neck, trying to get in his pants. So I hauled him around and punched him. Could you call the police for me?” When Shiro nodded and pulled out his phone, Keith pulled Lance closer, who shook his head in protest. “Shh, yes Lance. He put his hands on you, and I won’t stand for it. Can you sit up? I want to have a look at your neck.”

 

Lance whined, but did as asked, sitting up and letting Keith tilt his head back. He sniffled as gentle fingers traced over where Lotor’s fingers had dug into his skin. When Keith pulled back, Lance took in his murderous expression and flinched. “Sorry,” he whispered, lowering his head in shame.

 

Keith blinked, arms wrapping around Lance again. “You have nothing to apologize for. I knew Lotor wasn’t harmless, and I still agreed to come back here. If anyone should be sorry, it’s me.”

 

“What is going on here?” came a low, rough voice. Keith, Lance, and Shiro looked up to see the same man from before filling the doorway, arms folded over his chest. He looked at Shiro with narrowed eyes, listening to him describe the assault to the police. “I hope you’re not calling the police on my son. It’s your brother who keeps causing a scene whenever you come here.”

 

“What?” Keith burst out, then paused in surprise when Lance abruptly stood, hands fisted at his sides.

 

“How dare you! You saw what happened here, and did nothing!” Lance yelled, loud enough to draw the attention of Narti the hostess and another waitress, who walked over to see what was happening.

 

“What?” Keith said again, standing beside Lance. 

 

“This guy,” Lance pointed at the man, “poked his head in while Lotor had me by the neck, shook his head, and left. Who the fuck is this guy anyway?”

 

Keith gaped at Lance, then at the man. “That’s Mr. Z.”

 

“Yes, I was just informed that his father saw the assault and did nothing,” Shiro said a little more loudly than he should have, to draw attention to himself, “no, he hasn’t regained—“ he paused as Lotor groaned on the floor, and shifted to slowly sit up— “nevermind, he just got up. Yeah, please, as soon as you can. Thank you. No, I don’t need to stay on the line.”

 

“Are they on their way?” Keith asked, eyes flicking between Lotor and Mr. Z, who backed up, face going pale.

 

“Yeah, they’re headed this way,” Shiro turned to the two women who didn’t look surprised in the least, “Zethrid, Narti. How much publicity do you want over this?”

 

Narti signed something, causing both Zethrid and Lance to smile. Zethrid interpreted, “as much as possible.” She cocked her head when Lance signed something back to Narti, and chuckled. “Good, you can interpret, I’ll go tell Acxa she’s in charge.” Zethrid nodded to Narti, who nodded back, and left. Mr. Z tried to follow, but Shiro gripped his shoulder with his prosthetic.

 

“I suggest you stay close and docile, Mr. Z,” Shiro suggested quietly.

 

Lotor pushed himself up to stand, and frowned at his dad, then turned to Keith. “Keith, how could you do this to me? I’ve been waiting for you for so long, and you betray my trust with this…twink?”

 

Keith growled, but Lance laughed. Keith looked over in concern, shoulders relaxing as he saw Lance nearly doubled over in mirth.

 

“Oh my god,” Lance got out between huffs, “is that the best you can come up with?” He pulled himself together as Lotor spluttered, but refrained from commenting further as three police officers walked up behind Mr. Z.

 

“Mr. Shirogane?” the first officer asked, and Shiro raised his hand. “Where is Mr. McClain?”

 

“I’m here,” Lance answered for himself, straightening and holding his head high. 

 

The officer frowned when he saw the bruises on Lance’s neck, and beckoned him forward. “Could you come with me, please? I’d like to take your statement.” He moved back as the other two officers took Lotor and Mr. Z off to do the same.

 

“Can my boyfriend come with me?” Lance asked, hand gripping tight to Keith’s hand.

 

The officer looked between the two, sighed, and nodded. He watched the other two officers leave, one taking Lotor out front while the other took Mr. Z toward the back, presumably to his office. He led them to the patio, where the rest of their group were waiting anxiously. Hunk stood up as soon as the officer came in. 

 

“Lance!” he called out, “are you okay?”

 

The officer held out his hand. “I need to take their statements first.”

 

“Oh. Okay.” Hunk sat back down, and they all watched as the officer led Lance to the other side of the patio after instructing Keith to stay a few tables away from the group. Shiro joined them soon after.

 

He gestured for Lance to sit, and followed suit when he did. He pulled out a small voice recorder and raised his brow. Lance nodded. He pulled out a small pad and pen, then clicked on the recorder. “I’m Officer Harrison. The other two guys are Officers Jinks and Owens,” he turned to Lance, “can you tell me what happened tonight?”

 

“We’re here for Hunk’s birthday,” Lance began, “that’s the guy who asked if I was okay.” Officer Harrison nodded. “According to Shiro and Keith, Lotor’s been after Keith for a while, and wouldn’t leave him alone when he’d come to eat here. Anyway, dinner was nice. I went to the bathroom, and Lotor came in just as I finished…” He told Officer Harrison what happened, including what they each said to the best of his memory. When he finished, Officer Harrison clicked off the recorder and pulled out his phone.

 

“I need to take pictures of the bruises on your neck, and I’d encourage you, very strongly, to head to the hospital and get yourself checked out. I’ll give you my card, so you can have the medical report forwarded to me as evidence,” Harrison said as he opened the camera app and held out the phone. Lance complied, lifting his chin and turning his head in whatever direction he was told. When he finished, Harrison put the phone away. “Thank you. You can go sit with your friends.” Lance nodded and got up, moving over to sit between Hunk and Allura, who immediately began fussing over him.

 

Officer Harrison waved Keith over, and went through the procedure with him as well, taking his statement and taking photos of his knuckles, which were slowly showing an impressive bruise. When they finished, Harrison told Keith and Lance to stay here on the patio and went back into the restaurant. Barely a minute later, another officer came out and stood by the door, eyes locking on Lance and Keith briefly.

 

“Hey,” Keith said, sliding into the seat Hunk vacated for him, and wrapped his arms around Lance again, “you okay?”

 

Lance swallowed and winced. “Yeah,” he rasped, then reached for his glass to take a swig of his watered down tea, “throat hurts.”

 

“Officer Harrison said he told you to go to the hospital. I’ll take you as soon as they let us go, ok?” Keith pressed a kiss to Lance’s temple, then turned to the rest of their group, “if they don’t shut down, can we still not come back here as long as those two are in charge?”

 

“Yes,” Hunk said loudly, “god, you guys I’m so sorry!”

 

Lance shook his head, and Keith copied the movement. “It’s okay,” he said for the both of them, “at least the police seem to be taking it seriously this time.”

 

Lance reared back, looking at Keith in shock, along with everyone else. Allura blurted out, “when did you call the police on Lotor?”

 

“Two years ago?” Keith answered. “I swung by to pick up a to-go order for all of us at the shop. Lotor followed me out and half way down to Voltron before I called the cops on him. He left, and since he didn’t actually _do_ anything or verbally threaten me, they couldn’t pick him up or question him or anything.”

 

“I _told_ you guys he was bad news!” Pidge exclaimed, arms folded across their chest.

 

“I did too, Pidge,” Keith said, voice weary, “but now, hopefully, this will put an end to it.”

  
Just then, Officer Harrison came back in. He nodded to the other officer, who nodded back and left the room. Harrison approached the group, a clip board in his hands. “We’re ready to place Mr. Zarkon under arrest, if you want to press charges.”

 

“Um—“ Lance began, but Keith cut him off.

 

“Yes,” he said strongly, eyes cutting over to Lance. He gave Lance a pleading look, “please. He _put his hands on you_. And I can pretty much guarantee that he’ll try to press charges against me for punching him in the face.”

 

“He is,” Officer Harrison supplied, “so I’d strongly encourage you to do the same. You can fight his charges either way, but this way his own charge will look like exactly what it is, a distraction.”

 

Lance frowned and nodded. “Yeah. I want to press charges.”

 

Officer Harrison walked him through the process, what pages to sign and where, and had him sign off that he looked over the transcript of his statement and found it to be accurate. When they finished, he stood up and nodded to them. “Thank you for your cooperation, you’re all free to go.” He handed Lance his card, “I expect to hear from the hospital soon?”

 

Lance took the card and nodded. Officer Harrison nodded back, wished them all a good night, and left. Lance slumped into Keith, who hugged him tight. “Let’s get out of here,” Lance whispered, and Keith nodded. They stood, and Shiro announced he would see them to Keith’s car. They left to well wishes and more apologies from Hunk and their friends, and left.

 

“Do you want me to drive you guys?” Shiro asked, “Allura and I rode together, I can let her know not to wait for me, or to pick me up from the hospital.”

 

Lance shook his head, but Keith said, “actually, yeah, if you don’t mind. I shouldn’t be driving right now.”

 

Shiro nodded, and sent a quick text to Allura while Keith fished his keys from his pocket. Shiro got in the drivers seat, and Keith pulled Lance into the back. They snuggled the whole way to the hospital, Keith silently comforting Lance as his shoulders shook and his tears soaked Keith’s shoulder.

 

——

 

Keith and Lance came back into the waiting room, and Shiro stood up to meet them by the door. “How’d it go?”

 

“We’re both fine,” Keith answered, “though Lance is supposed to rest his voice for a few days and gargle with salt water. They took more pictures and did a full exam for the police. They did the same with my hand, but it’s just bruised.” He looked at Lance, who nodded and held onto Keith’s arm tighter. “Did Allura go home?” Keith asked.

 

“No, she’s parked at Lance’s apartment,” Shiro replied.

 

“Well, let’s not keep her waiting. We’re free to go.”

 

Shiro led them back out to the parking lot, and they piled back into Keith’s car. The drive back was silent, and when they arrived at Lance’s apartment, Shiro simply told them good night, reminded Keith to keep him posted, and left with Allura.

 

Keith led Lance up to his apartment and let them in. They silently got ready for bed and stripped down to their underwear before snuggling under the covers.

 

“Hunk texted me,” Keith said quietly. Lance nodded, and he continued, “Coran said for you to stay home tomorrow, and Shiro told me the same.” Lance hummed, the sound cut off when he winced again. Keith sighed and held Lance close. “I’m sorry you’re hurt. I’ll make soup tomorrow, and we’ll veg on the couch and watch whatever you want, ok?”

 

Lance nodded again, snuggled close, then put his hand over Keith’s mouth to tell him to be quiet.

 

Keith chuckled, “okay, okay, I get it. Good night, I love you.” He smiled when Lance held his hand up in the ‘I Love You’ sign, and tilted his chin up for a kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thank you, thank you, thank you for reading, commenting, subscribing, leaving kudos, and supporting this story! You guys are wonderful, I hope you enjoyed this chapter!


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A few events following Hunk's interrupted party, a little more plot, and some fun sexy times.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah! I think I've found my rhythm with this story again (now that I have a bit of plot to work toward...haha) yay!
> 
> Disclaimer:  
> I don't know how pressing charges, police follow ups, or the court system works. I've been fortunate enough to only require my county court house for voting and the one speeding ticket I had to go pay.
> 
> Also, I know these things usually take a lot longer, but this is fiction and therefore I can do whatever I want :P
> 
> And! Wowowow! We've hit over 100,000 words with this chapter! *throws a party*
> 
>  
> 
> And another reminder: this fic is unbeta'd! I do read over before I post (sometimes), but all mistakes are mine and it won't hurt my feelings if you feel the need to point out spelling or grammatical errors. I'll appreciate it!

Sunday turned out exactly as Keith had promised. 

 

He woke up earlier than Lance, slipped out of bed to get started on the soup, and to see if there was any tea. There was a box in the cupboard with the coffee, but it was the large size bags for iced tea. He shook his head, and finished up the soup prep, setting it to simmer once it reached a boil. Then he wrote a quick note in case Lance woke up, and left as quietly as possible to head to the store.

 

_Made a Publix run for tea and stuff. Be back soon. <3_

 

_——_

 

Lance smiled at the little note on his bar, glad Keith wrote it on one of his hot pink sticky notes or he may not have noticed it and gotten upset that Keith left. He paused on his way to make some salt water to smell the simmering soup, humming quietly at the herby smell. He soon got back on task, mixing more salt than he thought necessary into a cup of warm tap water, and gargling the entire glass one mouthful at a time.

 

When he finished with a grimace, whole body shivering at the saltiness, he moved to the bathroom to brush his teeth.

 

He was in the shower when Keith came back, and startled when there was a knock at the door.

 

“Hey, I just wanted to let you know I’m back!” Keith called through the door. Lance opened his mouth to answer, remembered he wasn’t supposed to talk, and reached out to knock back on the door instead. Keith replied, “cool, see you when you get out.”

 

Lance rushed through the rest of his shower, toweled himself dry, and poked his head out of the bathroom to see where Keith was. He found him turning around at the noise, hand raised over the kettle he must have just set on the stove. Lance smirked at Keith’s raised brow, and sauntered, naked, off to his room.

 

“Fuck, Lance,” Keith muttered behind him, and he shook his ass for good measure before disappearing into his room, leaving the door open. Lance paused for a second, but when he heard Keith continue whatever he was doing in the kitchen, shrugged and rummaged through his drawers for something comfy to wear. He pulled on a pair of dark blue checkered pajama pants, his ‘Nice’ Christmas shirt, and his comfiest pair of socks, then came back out to the living area to sit at the bar. Keith turned to him with a raised brow, causing him to blush through the smirk still lingering on his face. 

 

He raised his hands, touching his fingers to his thumbs and making a flat ‘o’ shape, fingers pointing up. Then he moved his pointer fingers out and tapped them against his thumbs twice. It was a sign Lance used often enough that Keith learned it fairly quickly. It spelled ‘do, do’, and asked the question, ‘what are you doing?’

 

“Making tea,” Keith replied. He pulled two boxes out of a shopping bag and set them on the bar. “Which one do you want?”

 

Lance looked over the boxes. One was labeled ‘Throat Coat’, the other ‘Throat Comfort’. He made a face at the first, sticking his tongue out as he put it down on the lower counter. 

 

“Okay, no on the Throat Coat,” Keith chuckled. Lance rolled his eyes with a huff, knocking over the box to make his point, which amused Keith even more. He laughed and continued, “fine, fine, I’ll take that one back.” He grabbed the other box and opened it, dropping a bag into Lance’s favorite mug. The kettle still hadn’t boiled, so Keith busied himself with the coffee maker that he finally learned how to use. 

 

When the kettle began to whistle, Keith pressed the button to start his coffee, then poured the just-boiled water into Lance’s mug. He moved around to the bar while the coffee brewed and the tea steeped, gentle fingers sliding along Lance’s jaw. “Can I take a look?” he asked quietly. When Lance nodded and tilted his head back, Keith gently traced over the bruises with a frown. 

 

Lance lowered his face, ducking down to catch Keith’s eye to give him a small smile. He opened his right hand, fingers splayed wide, and touched his thumb to his chest. ‘I’m fine.’

 

Keith sighed, frown fading but not quite leaving. “Shit, Lance,” he muttered, forehead resting on Lance’s shoulder, “I’m so sorry. I knew Lotor wasn’t as harmless as he made himself out to be, but I never thought he’d take it out on anyone but me. God, I put you in danger and I—“ Fingers suddenly covered his mouth and he stopped, lifting his gaze to Lance’s face which was marred by a frown and furrowed brows.

 

Lance wagged his finger in Keith’s face, paused to think, then tapped on the sticky note still on the counter and mimed writing with a pen. Keith let out a quiet ‘oh’ and rushed to grab the pad and pen he used earlier. Lance took the items and scribbled a quick note, then slid the pad around for Keith to see.

 

_the fault is Lotor’s. period._

 

“Yeah but—“ Keith huffed when Lance stopped his talking by putting his fingers over his mouth again. His face was stern now, and he shook his head. Keith sighed, “okay,” and let Lance pull him in for another hug. The comfort was short lived, though. Lance pushed Keith away and pointed at his steeping tea. “Oh. Yeah, here you go.” Keith removed the bag, let it drain a little, and put it on the paper it was originally wrapped in, then put the mug in front of Lance. He remembered to grab his own cup of coffee before joining Lance at his chair again.

 

They drank quietly, taking comfort in the warmth from both their drinks and between each other. After a few minutes, Lance nudged Keith aside and led him to the couch. They snuggled together there, much more comfortable. When they finished their drinks, they dozed together in the quiet apartment, Lance snuggled close and practically wrapped around Keith, who didn’t mind in the slightest.

 

Eventually Lance got bored and turned on the TV. He picked the new Guardians of the Galaxy movie, excited to see it come up on his ‘trending now’ on Netflix.

 

Toward the end of the movie, Lance got a text from a number he didn’t recognize, and showed his phone to Keith to gain his attention. Keith paused the movie, since he somehow ended up with the remote, and sat up to read it

 

**XXX-XXX-XXXX**

Lance, this is Officer Harrison. I figured sending you a text would be appropriate since your hospital report stated you were to rest your voice for at least a few days. Officer Owens and I would like to meet with you today or tomorrow, either at your home or the station, to update you on what we’ve found and discuss what our next steps will be. I can tell you I think we have a good case against Mr. Zarkon. Please reply and let me know what time you’re available.

 

 

Lance looked up at Keith with wide eyes. Keith looked back with a smile.

 

“Hey, this sounds like good news, yeah?”

 

Lance shrugged, but let a small smile turn up the corners of his mouth. He took a deep breath and focused back on his phone, making sure Keith could read what he was typing.

 

**Lance McClain**

Hey man. Thanks for texting! My boss gave me the day off today, but I’m back at work tomorrow 5-3. Whatever works better for you is fine with me, but I would prefer today if you don’t mind. You have my address, right? I have a kick ass coffee machine!

 

Oh, and I know Sign Language, if you have an interpreter available that may make communication a little easier instead of me typing on my phone or writing notes.

 

Also, Keith is here. Is it cool if he stays?

 

 

“Hey, that’s a good idea,” Keith said when he read Lance’s second message. Lance nodded, turning back to his phone when it buzzed in his hand.

 

**Officer Harrison**

I can definitely meet with you today. How does 3:00 sound? We do have an interpreter on staff, if she’s available I’ll have her join us. Yes, Keith can stay unless you have something you need to discuss with us privately.

 

 

**Lance McClain**

Sounds good, see you then!

 

 

“Hey,” Keith sat up, “it’s nearly one, and we haven’t eaten anything yet. I didn’t make soup for nothing! C’mon.”

 

Lance followed Keith to the kitchen, suddenly realizing the wonderful aroma from the pot had permeated the entire apartment, and hummed quietly.

 

“Hey now, none of that,” Keith admonished, serving up two bowls and handing one to Lance, who shrugged sheepishly in reply. 

 

He touched his fingers to his chin and brought his hand out and forward. ‘Thank you.’

 

“You’re welcome,” Keith replied, mimicking the sign in return. They settled at the bar to eat. 

 

After a few spoon fulls, Lance gripped Keith’s shirtsleeve and shook it gently. Keith looked over, and Lance shook his hand, ‘wow!’ then kissed the back of his fist, ‘delicious!’

 

“Thanks,” Keith murmured with a shrug, “it’s my aunt’s recipe. She always made it when any of us got sick.”

 

Lance beamed and rested his head on Keith’s shoulder, nuzzling for a moment before returning to his soup with enthusiasm.

 

After they each had two bowls of soup, Lance did his salt water rinse, and Keith made him another cup of tea. They finished the movie, and Lance scrolled through his watch list to find something else. He kept eyeing Keith, to gauge his reaction to his selections, and Keith quickly picked up on it. “Hey, no,” he admonished, “whatever you want, I promised.”

 

Lance raised a brow, smirked, and held up a finger, telling Keith to wait. He got up and disappeared into his bedroom, coming back out just a moment later with his laptop. He set it up on the coffee table, turned off the TV, and pulled up his web browser. He loaded a site and flicked through before Keith could really see what it was. It looked like anime? Then he selected a video and enlarged it.

 

“Ice skating anime? Oh, Yuri on Ice, isn’t that—?” Keith asked, thinking it seemed vaguely familiar. Hadn’t Pidge mentioned an anime like that? Wasn’t it…?

 

Lange waggled his brows and settled into Keith’s side with his tea, watching as Keith came to realize what it was.

 

“Oh, man! Pidge told me about this, but I never got around to watching it. They’re determined to get me to love anime.”

 

Lance nodded, and they settled in to watch.

 

****

 

“Oh my god, if the sexual tension doesn’t kill me, I think Christophe might. Can you actually come from just ice skating? Is that even real?” Keith ranted at the lap top, much to Lance’s amusement. His shoulders were shaking hard to make up for his lack of out-loud laughter. “Please tell me they at least kiss before this is over,” Keith groaned. When Lance bit his lip and wouldn’t answer, Keith glared, “your silence is telling enough. I don’t know now if I want to finish it or refuse in protest. Will there at least be more?”

 

Lance crossed his fingers, face hopeful. Keith huffed, “ugh, fine. I’ll finish it, but I reserve the right to moan and bitch to my heart’s content.” Lance’s shoulders shook again, and Keith smiled.

 

A knock at the door startled them, and Lance waved Keith to the door. He went willingly while Lance stopped the show and shut his lap top. He opened the door to see two of the officers from last night, an unfamiliar woman between them. “Hey, c’mon in.” He stepped back, letting the three in and closed the door. Lance stood up and waved.

 

“Mr. Kogane, Mr. McClain,” Officer Harrison said, shaking Keith’s hand first. “You remember my partner Officer Owens? And this is Cass Davis, the sign language interpreter Mr. McClain requested.” There was a small flurry of ‘how are you’s and ‘nice to meet you’s and nods from Lance. Then, Lance waved to get Cass’ attention and signed to her.

 

“Would anyone like coffee?” she asked, startling Keith, who frowned before realizing she was merely voicing what Lance was signing.

 

“None for me,” Officer Owens replied.

 

“I’ll take one,” said Officer Harrison.

 

Lance pointed at Keith with a raised brow. “Sure, I’ll help too.” Lance shook his head and pointed to his room, then tapped his first two fingers together on top of those on his other hand. Keith made an ‘ah’ sound. “Chairs, yeah I can get them.” Lance signed his thanks, then looked at Cass.

 

“Oh, no thanks I’m good,” she replied.

 

Lance nodded and signed again.

 

“Please make yourselves comfortable,” Cass interpreted, and nodded her thanks.

 

Lance moved to the kitchen while Keith ducked into his bedroom. Cass and the officers waited for Keith to come back and set out the chairs. Cass sat in one, Officer Owens in the other, and Keith and Officer Harrison took opposite sides of the couch.

 

A few minutes later, Cass looked up, then nodded. “Keith, Lance wants your help in the kitchen.”

 

“Oh! Thanks,” he replied and jumped up, heading to the kitchen to take two of the coffee cups from Lance. He was pleased to see Lance’s own mug had another tea instead of coffee. They returned to the living room, Keith handing Officer Harrison one of the coffees, then sat down.

 

“How are you feeling today, Mr. McClain?” Officer Harrison asked. 

 

Lance quirked one side of his mouth in a half smile and shrugged. He signed, and Cass again spoke for him. “Please call me Lance. I’m okay. My throat is sore, but that’s expected. I feel drained, which I know is normal too. But I’m not scared or nervous because of what happened.” Keith wrapped an arm around Lance’s shoulders while he signed, his own tense shoulders relaxing when Lance leaned into him.

 

Officer Harrison nodded. “That’s good, Lance. So the main reason I asked to see you today was to keep you updated, unofficially, with what’s happening on our end. Normally things like this would take a bit longer, but what we found after looking into Mr. Zarkon’s records is more than enough grounds to have this case put on priority.” He motioned to Officer Owens, who handed over the file he brought in. Harrison opened it and sniffed. “Mr. Zarkon has has numerous calls made against him in the forms of verbal and sexual harassment. One of them was made by Mr. Kogane here.”

 

“Yeah,” Keith agreed, “but you guys couldn’t do anything since he left as soon as I called and didn’t verbally threaten me.” He stated it as facts, no accusation in his tone.

 

“That is correct. And at the time there was only one other complaint about him, so there wasn’t any basis or grounds for investigating him,” Harrison replied regretfully, “but now, with the sheer number of complaints from several unrelated victims, and now Mr….uh, Lance’s charge against him for assault, Officer Owens and I are well equipped to bring a solid case against him.” He paused to have some coffee, then continued, “we’ll be working to contact as many victims as we are able to get up to date statements. I’m sure the reported incidents were not all completely isolated, right Mr. Kogane?”

 

“Keith, please,” Keith nodded, “yeah, like I said in my statement last night, it happened every time I went there, if he was also there.”

 

Lance signed. “Even Pidge, another friend of ours, had a bad feeling about him. They felt the same bad vibe Keith did,” Cass said for him.

 

“I’d like to contact your friends that were there last night, and get statements from them. We’ve already been back by the restaurant to speak with the staff. What they had to say wasn’t very supportive of either Mr. Zarkon, or his father,” Harrison said.

 

“Did I tell you he saw what happened?” Cass interpreted for Lance. Harrison nodded, and Lance nodded back, “okay, I couldn’t remember if I had.”

 

“Mr. Shirogane also mentioned it to the 9-1-1 operator,” Officer Owens added.

 

“Right,” Harrison said, “so fortunately, our visit today will be brief. I wanted to make sure you were alright, and if we can get your friends names and contact info, we’ll be done.”

 

“Can you tell us if this will go to court?” Lance asked through Cass.

 

“I can’t say for sure,” Owens answered while Keith used Lance’s phone to text their friends info to officer Harrison, “it’s possible this could be open and closed, with just a private hearing with a judge. But it’s equally likely we’ll have to go before a jury. We’ll get a better idea when everyone’s statements are put together and presented to the judge.”

 

“Thanks,” Keith answered, handing Lance back his phone.

 

Officer Harrison stood, and everyone else followed. There was another round of hand shakes, thank you’s, and a few signs shared between Lance and Cass. Then they left, and Lance and Keith were left alone again.

 

Lance waited, brows raised, while Keith eyed his laptop.

 

“You wanna keep watching Yuri on Ice?” he asked hesitantly.

 

Lance grinned, pointed at Keith, and signed, ‘you want to.’

 

Keith shrugged. “Yeah, I guess.”

 

****

 

“Lance!” Hunk cried when he came into the bakery Monday, “buddy! Hey, how are you?”

  
Lance smiled and gave Hunk a thumbs-up.

 

Hunk pulled him into a gentle hug, “not allowed to talk?”

 

Lance shook his head.

 

“Bummer. Hey, Coran?”

 

“Yes, Hunk? Oh! Lance! How are you young man?” Coran rushed to come out of his office when he saw Lance, a concerned frown on his face at the sight of two small bruises peeking out of the top of his turtle neck.

 

Lance did the smile and thumbs-up routine again.

 

“He’s not allowed to talk,” Hunk informed Coran.

 

“Oh dear. I didn’t even think of that. Hmm…well, there’s nothing that can be done about it, I’ll have to keep my ears open for the bell while I work in the office,” Coran muttered as he patted Lance on the shoulder and moved back to said office.

 

Lance rolled his eyes, and held up a finger. He left a gaping Hunk and went to the front store. He grabbed the small white board that usually noted whatever was on special or new to try and its dry-erase pen. Coming back in the kitchen, he wrote on the board and showed it to Hunk, who read it aloud:

 

_‘Hi! Welcome to Altea Bakery. I’m Lance, and I’ve lost my voice. I’ll do my best to help you, but please be patient with me while I recover.’_

 

“Hey, Coran? You think that’ll work? Lance can always just come get one of us if a customer has a question he can’t answer,” Hunk called out.

 

Coran stuck his head out of his office again and looked over the note. “I don’t see why not. We’ll give it a try at least! Thank you, Lance, for putting yourself out there.”

 

Lance shrugged, winked, and put the sign out on the counter. Then he dove into getting the bakery ready for the day.

 

****

 

“Hello?”

 

“Mamá?”

 

“¡Hijo!”

 

“Hey, you’re on speaker by the way. Keith and I wanted to wish you a happy birthday.”

 

“Oh! Gracias! Thank you! How are you boys?”

 

“We’re good, um…I hate to put a damper on your day but I need to tell you and dad about something that happened last week.”

 

“Wait, wait, let me get him then. Sean! How do I put this on speaker? Oh, thank you. Lance? Is everything okay? You sound sick, are you sick?”

 

“No, Mamá, I’m not sick, and I’m okay now but…I did get hurt…”

 

****

 

**Stella Bella**

Can we come up for the hearing? Mamá is worried sick, she wants to be there

 

 

**Lancey Lance**

Actually, yeah. If you guys wanna come I will gladly accept the extra support. I really hoped it would settle out of court

 

 

**Stella Bella**

Yeah, we’ll be there. Tell us the date and dad will make sure we find a place to stay

 

 

**Lancey Lance**

February 20

 

Shiro and Allura said you could stay with them so you don’t have to fork out money for a hotel. It’s a nice house, with two extra bed rooms so you won’t be too cramped

 

 

**Stella Bella**

I’ll let dad know, thanks!

 

****

 

“You weren’t kidding when you said you didn’t have much stuff.”

 

“Nope.”

 

“Makes moving super easy though.”

 

“Yeah. Let me drop off my key and we can go.”

 

——

 

“Why are everyone’s cars parked at your, uh—our apartment, Lance?”

 

“That is an excellent question.”

 

“If they wanted to be sneaky, they should have parked around back.”

 

“Do they know there’s parking out back?”

 

“…probably not.”

 

“Hey. Think we can get all your stuff up in one trip?”

 

“Maybe.”

 

“Let’s try it.”

 

“Ok.”

 

——

 

“So are we still going to act surprised?”

 

“I’m not. You can if you want to, but I can’t pull it off.”

 

“True.”

 

“C’mon, this shit’s heavy.”

 

“Yessir!”

 

Lance unlocked the door and pushed it in. He gave Keith room to go in first with the boxes and a duffel bag, while Lance followed with the suitcases and two back packs.

 

“SURPRISE!!” People jumped out from behind the couch, in the kitchen, and even Lance’s bed room.

 

“Happy move-in day!” Coran cried after, causing everyone else to laugh.

 

“Wow you guys! We had no idea you were here! You cars aren’t parked out front or anything!” Lance teased.

 

“I told you we should have car pooled,” Shay accused Hunk, who merely shrugged in reply.

 

“We’re here to help you get settled in,” Hunk said, moving to take a box from Keith.

 

“You guys do realize that I don’t have enough shit for you to help us move? This is it,” Keith gestured toward Lance with his head.

 

“Yeah, oh! Here, Matt.” Lance dug the truck keys out of his pocket and tossed them in Matt’s direction, who caught them despite Lance’s slightly off throw, and stuck them in his own pocket.

 

“Thanks.”

 

Hunk stood still in front of Keith. “Wait, are you serious? This is it?”

 

“Here’s where I say I told you so,” Matt ribbed.

 

“Don’t you have furniture and stuff?” Hunk asked, mildly horrified.

 

“My last apartment came furnished, I didn’t have to buy shit,” Keith panned.

 

Hunk pursed his lips, and Shay gently patted his shoulder. “How about we go for a Chinese run? Let Lance and Keith put their stuff away and by the time we get back it’ll be done and we can all eat,” said Shay.

 

“Yeah, okay,” came Hunk’s mumbled reply. He gingerly set the box down on the floor. “We’ll be back soon.”

 

“Later big guy!” Lance called, “remember, straight there and back okay? No necking in the parking lot!”

 

“Yes, dad!” Shay replied over her shoulder.

 

“Is there anything we can do to help?” Coran asked.

 

Keith looked at his meager belongings and shrugged. “Not really. Most of it is clothes and toiletries. This box has a few books and DVD’s, and that one has the dishes I wanted to keep.”

 

“I’m not super picky on how it’s organized, if you wanna put that stuff away while I help Keith with his clothes,” Lance offered.

 

Coran beamed, glad to be useful. “Can do!”

 

Keith grabbed one suitcase while Lance still had the other, and they disappeared into Lance’s…no, _their_ bedroom while Matt and Coran opened the boxes and began sorting the items within.

 

****

 

 “Why does this feel so different?” Keith asked. He was brushing his teeth, a towel around his waist, while Lance was in the shower.

 

“Because sleepovers and actually living together, despite appearing to be almost exactly the same, are actually so different that it’s freaking me out a little bit,” was Lance’s answer.

 

Keith laughed at the depth of his answer. “Me too. So you’ve put some thought into this?”

 

“Mostly for my own benefit, to keep myself from having a panic attack.”

 

That gave Keith pause. “But you’re excited too, right?”

 

Lance immediately replied, “yes, of course yes I’m beyond excited!”

 

“Okay, good.”

 

“Hey.”

 

“Hmm?”

 

“Wanna have our own celebration tonight?”

 

“What do you—oh.” Keith’s gut clenched. “Uh…yes. If…are you…do you want to?”

 

The shower shut off and Lance opened the curtain to meet Keith’s eyes in the mirror. “Of course I want to, why wouldn’t I? Come to think of it, we haven’t done more than some heavy petting since—since Lotor…” he trailed off to frown, and quickly grabbed his towel to wrap it around his waist, suddenly self conscious. “I, um—are you mad at me? For…for what happened?”

 

“What?” Keith spun around to face Lance, “no! No, of course not! Why would I—“

 

“Then why haven’t we had sex since then?” Lance asked, tone more hurt than anything, “I mean, I get why I shouldn’t blow you because of my throat, but…”

 

Keith reached his hands out, and waited patiently for Lance to take them so he could help him out of the tub. Once Lance’s feet were firmly on the floor, Keith gently pulled him close and, when he felt no refusal or hesitation, wrapped him in a hug. “I’m sorry if I made you feel at all unwanted,” he began, gently rubbing Lance’s still wet back, “I don’t know why we haven’t…it wasn’t a conscious decision on my part.”

 

Lance tucked his face into Keith’s neck and took a deep breath. “So can we? Tonight?”

 

“Of course, whatever you want.”

 

“Wanna come on you cock,” Lance mumbled against Keith’s collarbone, shoulders hunching self consciously.

 

Keith breathed Lance in deep, the exhale turning into a quiet groan as his dick responded almost instantly to that comment. “God yes.”

 

Lance took Keith’s hand and led him to the bedroom. He paused just inside the door at the sight of _Keith’s things_ on _Keith’s side of the bed_ ; his phone on the charger, a tube of chapstick, Lance’s salt lamp since Keith would usually be staying up later than Lance most nights. Keith gripped Lance’s waist and walked them to the bed. He took off his own towel and laid it across the covers. Lance washed the sheets today so they could start ‘fresh and clean’ and Keith had no desire to soil the sheets tonight.

 

When Keith pulled the lube and a condom out of the drawer, Lance made an aborted motion with his arm, dropped it, then took off his own towel to squeeze over his hair before laying it over Keith’s towel.

 

“What’s up?” Keith asked getting on his knees on the bed.

 

Lance hesitated for a moment, then joined Keith on the bed. He crawled to the center and flopped down on his back. “Well, um—I was just…thinking. Um, since we’re, y’know, monogamous and—clean and—uh, well I know it’s easier clean up but…I just…I’m—curious,” he swallowed and flushed deep crimson all the way down to his chest, “I’m curious if it would feel different.”

 

Keith waited for Lance to elaborate a bit more. When he didn’t, he prompted, “if it would feel different how?”

 

“Without…y’know…a—a condom.”

 

Keith shivered at the thought, his half-hard cock blatantly revealing just what he thought of that idea by fully hardening almost immediately. “Uh…”

 

Emboldened by the sight of Keith’s cock swelling, Lance smirked. “Your cock thinks it’s a good idea.”

 

“Of course it does, I do too,” Keith muttered. He blinked, shook his head, and shuffled a bit closer. “Are you sure? I mean, I get tested regularly because I work with needles, I have the paperwork that says I’m clean. I know you’re clean, I trust you. But this is…fuck, I dunno why but it’s a big deal to me. A big show of trust, I think, and…um, more intimate. Like a commitment.”

 

Lance stared up at Keith, smirk suddenly gone and replaced with an intensity Keith rarely saw in him. He reached out and took Keith’s hand, the one holding the condom, and took the condom from him. “I’m sure. I want this. Do you…?”

 

Keith snatched the condom back, only to toss it over his shoulder to the floor, “yes. Fuck, god yes I want it too.” He crawled over Lance in a sudden rush, crashing their mouths together. The lube was dropped beside them so Keith could touch every inch of Lance he could reach. Lance was doing the same, hands skimming up Keith’s arms, over his shoulders, down his back and up again to run down his chest until they reached their destination; combing through Keith’s happy trail to trace over his cock.

 

Keith shuddered and moaned, suddenly way too hot but also cold where he wasn’t touching Lance, where Lance wasn’t touching him. He briefly flicked his thumbs over tight brown nipples before he picked up the lube and slicked his fingers, making quick but gentle work of stretching Lance in preparation for his cock.

 

With each added finger Lance’s gut wound itself tighter and tighter, while his body became more and more relaxed and loose. He felt the heat pooling below his stomach already, but he wouldn’t beg, not this time. It’d been a while, too long even for his opinion, and he knew Keith wouldn’t do it until he decided Lance was ready.

 

It felt like forever until Keith deemed him ready.

 

It also felt like it came too soon, not that Lance would complain about that.

 

Once Keith finally decided Lance was ready, he slowly pulled his fingers out, added more lube to his hand, and slicked his cock. He groaned at the new sensation and looked down at Lance, eyes reverent. “Last chance to change your mind,” he whispered.

 

Lance smiled and whispered back, “wouldn’t dream of it, baby.”

 

Keith hummed, thumbed his cock down into position, and slowly pressed inside. He paused several times to catch his breath and grind in place, as much for Lance’s sake as his own. “Ooohh…fuck, Lance,” he moaned once he was fully seated inside, “fuck, oh shit you feel incredible.”

 

Lance wasn’t faring much better. He didn’t know if it was because it had been three weeks since they had last done this, if it was because this time Keith wasn’t wearing a condom, or both.  Whatever the reason, this was the most intense sensation he’d felt so far, and it took considerable will power to hold his own orgasm at bay while Keith made his torturously slow way in. He couldn’t even form words at this point, his mouth hanging open to let out moans and pants and mewls of pleasure.

 

They waited, together, while they worked to gain control of their breathing and heart beats, as well as their self control. 

 

Keith settled his elbows over Lance’s shoulders to wrap his arms around them. They made eye contact, and the intensity between them took Keith’s breath away. “I love you,” he whispered.

 

Lance shivered, tears pricking his eyes while his heart tried to escape from his chest. He heaved a few tight breaths before he got his throat working to whisper back, “I love you. So much.”

 

Keith shivered. “Fuck, I—I gotta move. Are you—can I?”

 

“Yeah, yes, please move, o—oh shit, a-ah!” Lance arched his back as Keith pulled out slowly, already angled to scrape the head over his prostate. When he thrust back in, Lance grabbed under his thighs and hauled his legs up to his chest. Keith couldn’t keep the slow pace for long, especially with the new angle keeping Lance tight, and even tighter as he fluttered around Keith’s cock with every nudge against his prostate. Soon he was pounding fast and hard, his own grunts drowned out by Lance’s hoarse cries which were slowly upping in pitch as he was pushed closer and closer to his release.

 

“Ah! F-fuck, baby…ooh! Oh—oh—ah, yes, so good, yes, ah!” Lance babbled, head tossed back and hips canted up, body begging for, “more, more, yes, fuck, yes!”

 

Keith braced his hands by Lance’s sides, arms helping hold his legs up in place. “Oh, god. Lance, babe…I’m not gonna—ah! not gonna last. Tell me yo—oooh! you’re close,” he bit out between thrusts and moans. Already he was losing his rhythm, though his aim stayed right on.

 

Lance nodded wildly, the spasming of his hole around Keith’s cock becoming more of a vice-like grip than anything else. “Yeah, ooooh yea baby I’m close, just a little more, please please, mmh!”

 

Keith renewed his effort, slowing down just a bit to make sure he was thrusting in just right to bring Lance over the edge. “C’mon, show me, let me see.” He could feel it, Lance’s whole body drawing taught as he neared the edge, then spasming in a full body shudder as Keith sent him over the edge. Lance screamed, the sound raw and ragged as his cock painted his chest and stomach pearly white. His hole clamped down on Keith’s dick, and he shuddered at the tightness as he did his best to fuck Lance through his orgasm.

 

Then, as soon as Lance began to relax, he sped back up, harder than before and chased his own end.

 

Lance, voice wrecked, moaned and whimpered at the overstimulation, but wrapped his legs around Keith’s waist when he felt him tense and pull back as if to pull out. “No, no you don’t. C’mon, come in me.”

 

Keith groaned and buried his face in Lance’s neck. The continued whispers in his ear of ‘yes, yes, give it to me, yes, c’mon’ did him in. He shuddered and thrust in as deep as he could, cock twitching inside Lance as he came, hard, humping in somehow deeper to get as close as he could as he emptied himself.

 

“O—oh,” Lance hummed. He couldn’t feel the cum like he’d hoped he would, but he _could_ feel Keith’s cock twitch and move as he came. He shuddered at the sensation. Then Keith collapsed on top of him and he let out a deep “oof.” His legs fell to the bed as Keith’s knees slipped out from under them.

 

“Fuck, sorry,” Keith mumbled. He was trembling all over, and so was Lance. He tried to roll over, but Lance wrapped his limbs around him again to keep him in place, so he slumped back down and breathed deep of the smell of sex and Lance’s sweat. “You okay?”

 

“No, and it’s the best thing ever,” Lance replied in one hurried breath, knowing Keith would freak if he paused for even a moment after saying ‘no.’ “You?”

 

Keith groaned before mumbling, “same.” They laid together for a minute’s silence, then Keith shifted. “Did I hurt you?”

 

“I don’t—“ Lance cleared his throat, his voice still sounded raw, like when he first started using it again after the incident with Lotor. “Uh, besides my voice, I don’t think so.”

 

“Hmm. May have to tone down the intensity until your throat heals,” Keith commented. He shifted again, pulling his knees up under him and pushing up onto all fours. Lance let his limbs fall, a ragged moan coming from his throat as Keith’s cock slipped from his hole. Keith collapsed beside him, and then a new sensation came over him. He squirmed, the feeling of something tickling his hole making him shiver. Keith frowned, “what is it?”

 

“I don’t know, something’s tickling my ass,” Lance muttered. He reached down to brush it away, and encountered something warm and wet. “Oh.” He pressed his fingers against his hole, which was still loose and gaping a little, and _seeping Keith’s cum_. “ _Oh_.”

 

“You okay?”

 

“Yeah. It’s just…your cum, coming out.”

 

Keith startled. “Can I see?”

 

“Uh…yeah, okay.”

 

Keith scrambled up, kneeling between Lance’s legs. He gently pressed on the backs of his thighs, pushing his legs up toward his chest again to expose Lance’s hole to the room. When he saw it, Lance’s hole fluttering around nothing, his cum dribbling out, he shivered and groaned. “Fuck, Lance that’s so hot.” His cock twitched.

 

“I saw that,” Lance teased. 

 

“Can you blame me?” Keith asked, incredulous, “I wasn’t expecting the ‘let’s stop using condoms’ conversation for a while yet.”

 

Lance smiled as he lowered his legs, caging Keith’s hips with his knees. “We haven’t really taken things all that slowly, have we?”

 

“It doesn’t feel like it, does it?” Keith jostled Lance’s knee as he moved around it to lay back down. “Do you wanna shower again? Or I could go get a damp wash cloth.”

 

“Uhmmm...damp cloth, please.”

 

“Kay. Be right back.”

 

****

 

Lance stood at the table in the Bakery’s kitchen, eyes wide and hands trembling. Before him trays of cookies were stacked on top of each other; innocent, blank shortbread cookies. Some were simple hearts, some double hearts, there was one tray of X’s and O’s, and a tray of puckered lips.

 

“Here.” Another tray was suddenly in his peripheral. He turned to see Shay holding it out to him, piping bags lined up neatly across in shades of white, red, and pink.

 

“Oh. Right. Thanks.” Lance took the tray, and Shay smiled gently.

 

“You know the best part about Valentine cookies?”

 

“What?”

 

“The orders are more ambiguous, which means you get to have fun and be creative.”

 

“That…is actually the most terrifying part!”

 

Shay laughed. “Start with the hearts. Do solid backgrounds, then add stripes, dots, or whatever you like once they’re dry. Getting started is the hardest part, you know that.”

 

“Yeah.” Lance took a deep breath, then smiled back at Shay. “Thanks.”

 

“No problem, and no pressure, but these are getting picked up at three.”

 

“Right! Yeah, okay. I can do this.” Lance turned back to the trays, set down the icing, and got to work.

 

——

 

“Lance…” Shay breathed.

 

“No, they’re shit aren’t they?” Lance moaned, burying his face in his hands.

 

“Nonsense!” Coran piped up from his other side, “your skill has vastly improved, I’m very impressed!”

 

“They’re gorgeous!” Shay added.

 

Lance peeked up. “Really?”

 

“Yes! Now let’s get them bagged up, I’ll help you.”

 

“Thanks, Shay.”

 

****

 

The key sliding into the lock of their front door pulled Lance’s attention away from himself with a jolt. He sighed and smiled, “finally.”

 

He’d been working himself up for nearly an hour, at first just teasing, then exploring. He screwed up enough courage to slip in a lubed finger, and then another, and another. He tried in vain to find his prostate, but either didn’t have the angle right, or couldn’t get the depth.

 

He started on his hands and knees, but ended up with his chest on the bed by the time he got to three fingers. He turned his face to the bedroom door as he listened to Keith doing his best to be quiet coming in and getting ready for bed. His skin buzzed with excitement for the sight Keith would be coming in to.

 

The room was lit only by the glow of the salt lamp, as usual. But that was the only similarity to their now typical nights. For one, Lance was still up. But besides that a new red blanket covered the bed, a single rose rested in a bud vase on Keith’s night stand, and rose petals were strewn in a path from the floor to the bed.

 

Keith went into the bathroom, and when Lance heard the shower start, he quietly groaned. Well, at least Keith took fast showers, especially at night.

 

Sure enough, it wasn’t another five minutes and Keith was coming to the bed room. The door opened and…

 

“Uh—“

 

Lance smiled as Keith’s gaze followed the rose petals to the bed, then up, up, eyes popping wide at the sight of Lance, and finally settling on his face. “Happy Valentines Day,” Lance murmured, unwilling to disturb the stillness just yet.

 

Keith took two steps forward, looked down at himself, shucked off his sleeping boxers, and climbed up behind Lance on the bed. “Fuck, Lance…”

 

“Yes, fuck Lance, please.”

 

That brought a surprised laugh from Keith. He reached out shaking hands, fingertips brushing up his thighs to palm his ass cheeks. “What brought this on?”

 

“Besides the excuse to surprise you? I haven’t…uh…y’know, prepped myself before and—ah!” Lance shivered when another finger that wasn’t his gently touched his rim, rubbing the stretched skin.

 

“Shit, really?” Keith took a shaky breath. “I’m sorry I missed all the fun.”

 

“It wasn’t anything special, couldn’t get my prostate like this.”

 

Keith took Lance’s wrist and gently pulled his fingers out of his ass. The lube lay by Lance’s other hand, which was fisted in the blanket. Keith grabbed it, slicked his own fingers, and pressed two in. “Let’s fix that.” He smiled at Lance’s moan, his free hand wrapping around his own cock to tease himself a bit. After a few pumps of his fingers, he curled them just right and pressed down into the elusive bundle of nerves.

 

Lance groaned, loud, body tensing at the sensation. “Oh! Oh fuck!” Keith did it again, and Lance arched his back and came all over the blanket. “Ah! O—oh shit! No, no no, no! Fuck Keith I’m sorry I…”

 

“Shh…Lance it’s okay,” Keith soothed, letting go of his cock to rub over Lance’s back and down his thigh. He didn’t remove his fingers, though. He kept them still until Lance stopped trembling, then gently began pushing them in farther, grinding his knuckles in a little. “I wanna see how fast you can get it up again, are you up for that? I know it’s late.”

 

“Mmh! Ah, I—I…yeah I’m up for it.” Lance shivered, now both hands fisted in the blanket beside his head.

 

“Okay, can I?” Keith trailed his fingers up the inside of Lance’s thigh, one finger brushing against his cock, which hung still half-hard.

 

“Ah! No, no not yet,” Lance begged, flinching away from the touch. Keith immediately moved his hand back to rub soothingly over the small of Lance’s back.

 

He worked quietly after that, soaking in Lance’s sighs and grunts and moans as he thrust his fingers leisurely. He kept Lance stretched gently, waiting until he was fully hard again before brushing teasingly over his prostate. Lance jumped and moaned, closed eyes sliding open to look back at Keith dazedly. “Ah, Keith…’m ready, please…”

 

“Yes,” Keith breathed. He gathered up the excess lube to slick his cock, removed his fingers, lined up, and pushed in with a groan. “Fuck, Lance, how are you still so tight after all that?”

 

Lance bit his lip, trying to chuckle and moan at the same time. “I’m—ah—doing it on purpose.”

 

Keith stopped half way in and breathed deep, letting out the breath with a groan and a final push all the way in. “Shit, how…why…”

 

“It felt amazing when you did it. I figured you’d like it too.” Lance panted. He squeezed harder for a second, pulling an exclamation from Keith. “Ah, see?”

 

Keith gripped Lance’s hips. “Yeah.” He pulled back slowly, relishing in Lance’s ass gripping tight as if trying to keep him in, then thrust back in hard. Lance cried out this time, back arching to tilt his ass up for more. Keith smirked and leaned forward to drape himself over Lance’s back, which also gave him the right angle to give Lance the most pleasure. He thrust hard and fast, forehead pressed between Lance’s shoulder blades, panting against his skin.

 

“Oh! Mmh, ah, yes, right there, o—oo—oh fuck yes…” Lance scrabbled for purchase, but ended up gripping the blanket again as he tried to rock back into Keith’s thrusts. He thought maybe it’d take longer to bring him to orgasm so quickly after the first, but it seemed the opposite was happening. Soon, much sooner than expected, he was tensing up as he drew close to the edge. “Ah! Keith, I’m close!”

 

Keith nodded, forehead rubbing Lance’s back. “Me too,” he grit out, teeth clenching to hold himself together for just a bit longer. “Wanna feel you come around me.” He sped up, even though it felt like torture for him with the added stimulation.

 

He didn’t have to wait long. Suddenly Lance’s groans turned almost pained, breath hitching as he clenched down hard on Keith’s cock. His own cock jumped, hitting his stomach and smearing the cum that shot weakly from its tip. His whole body shivered, skin sensitive, cock tingling, still jerking and dribbling cum with each continued thrust from Keith. There weren’t many, Keith’s movements jerky as he came just after Lance stopped clenching.

 

They stayed still, their only movement their heaving chests as they panted quietly together. After a minute or so Keith let go of Lance’s hips, planting them on the bed to push himself up. He slowly, slowly pulled out. Lance whined, and Keith soothed him with gentle hands running over his back and sides. Once out, he rested back on his heels to watch his cum slowly run out to drip down Lance’s thigh.

 

“You think that’ll all wash out?” Lance asked breathlessly. He’d propped himself up on his elbows, and was looking at the mess he’d made of the blanket.

 

“I don’t see why not, as long as the blanket’s washable.” Keith stepped back off the bed and used a corner to wipe himself off, then lifted the end to help Lance clean up as well. After, he helped Lance get up so they could pull the blanket off, leaving it in a pile on the floor. Their usual blanket was under it, Keith realized, impressed. “Should we put it in the washer now?”

 

“Probably,” Lance collapsed back on the bed with a sigh, “but it can wait. My legs are jelly anyway.” He scootched up and wiggled himself under the covers, then looked at Keith with an expectant expression, “why are you still standing there?”

 

Keith shook himself and joined Lance in bed. “I guess I was expecting you to do your night routine. Am I safe to assume you did that before you started all this?”

 

Lance chuckled as they snuggled close. He was surprised at first when he learned that Keith liked being the little spoon. It was perfect, though, since he loved being the big spoon. “Duh. I knew I’d be useless after, and I was right.”

 

They snuggled for a minute, then Keith reached over and turned off the light.

 

****

 

Lance’s family arrived on the eighteenth. Shiro and Keith were working, so Lance made sure to be at the house with Allura when they got there. Allura, of course, invited Lance over the minute he left the Bakery ‘to catch up.’

 

So there he was, with four hours before his family was due to arrive, sitting at the table with Allura, two cups of coffee, and the plate of cookies and pastries he brought on Coran’s insistence.

 

“So,” Allura began, “how is living with Keith?”

 

“Not much different to kind of living with Keith,” Lance answered, “which was amazing so…y’know, still amazing.”

 

“How’s the sex?”

 

Lance gaped, glad he wasn’t mid-sip, and also glad that his coffee cup was securely on the table. “Uh…”

 

Allura smirked. “That bad? Hm…shame,” she teased.

 

“What? No! Uh, I mean,” Lance stammered, “I just…wasn’t expecting that level of friendship with you yet.”

 

“Oh, Lance,” Allura sighed. Lance loved how she said his name, drawing out the a into an ah with her accent. “You always sell yourself short, don’t you?”

 

“Only when it matters,” Lance admitted with a wry grin.

 

Allura shook her head and patted Lance’s hand. “We’ll work on that, but I won’t let you distract me from the good gossip.”

 

Lance laughed. “But he’s Shiro’s brother-cousin! Doesn’t that make you his almost sister-in-law?”

 

“So?”

 

“Oh, god. Okay, fine!” Lance took a deep breath. “The sex is also amazing, at least to me. There.”

 

“To you? What does that mean?”

 

“Alluraaaa!” Lance whined, but her expression told him she wouldn’t relent. “I mean, it’s…ugh Keith is the first guy I’ve slept with.”

 

“Ah, I see,” she winked, “so does Keith think it’s amazing too?”

 

Lance pursed his lips, took a sip of coffee, and carefully set the cup back on the table. “Yes.”

 

“Who tops?”

 

“Oh my god, I am not prepared for this!” Lance exclaimed. “We’re expecting my family, _my parents_! Who barely approve of my relationship in the first place, and you’re wanting all the details of my sex life! Why are you doing this to me?” he whined.

 

“To get it out of the way before they arrive of course.” Allura was relentless. “I’ll tell you how big Shiro is.”

 

Lance paused. “Wh-what?”

 

“It’s usually the first question I get when the topic of our sex life comes up. If he’s proportionate.”

 

“I can say for certain that I’ve never wondered, nor do I want to know,” Lance admitted quietly. Sure, Shiro was attractive, classically so, and had Lance not been focused on Keith first he might have fantasized about him, but he was definitely one to have a one-track mind.

 

Allura sat back, one eyebrow raised. “Really? Well, it would just be between us.”

 

Lance frowned, and his stomach dropped. She was baiting him. “Why?”

 

“Why what?”

 

“Why are you baiting me with this? Are you testing me?”

 

There was a pause. Allura looked surprised, then pleased. A genuine smile spread across her face, and only then did Lance realize that her previous smiles didn’t reach her eyes. She leaned forward again, long fingers wrapped around her mug. “I was. I do apologize for my deceit. I…well. I suppose I should explain myself first.”

 

“Yes please.” Lance crossed his legs and picked up his cup. He felt extremely uncomfortable, and briefly considered paying for a hotel for his family instead of having them stay here.

 

“The first time I met Keith’s first boyfriend, he asked me how big Shiro was. It immediately put me on alert, and it wasn’t long after that he tried to get in Shiro’s pants, and then Matt’s. Shiro was nice about it, but Matt called him out in front of all of us. He claimed their relationship to be open and casual, but Keith was devastated.” She mimicked Lance’s posture and continued, “since then, I’ve ‘tested’ every love interest Keith has had. There’s only been a few, and while most of the others were merely casually interested, there was another who was far too interested for being in a relationship.”

 

“Rolo.”

 

“Yes. How did you know?”

 

“Keith took me to his place for our first date. He didn’t even think about Rolo being there,” he added hastily, “he told me later that Rolo cheated on him. Oh man, please tell me it wasn’t with Shiro!”

 

Allura shook her head. “Shiro’s very secure in his heterosexuality, and also in his commitment to me. No, he met someone at his establishment and hooked up in his car. Keith chose that night to surprise him with a visit. He claimed that was the first time, but we’ve all wondered if that were really true.”

 

“Aw man. That’s awful!”

 

“Indeed. So. I’ve been waiting for an opportunity to test you as well. I had a strong feeling you would pass with flying colors.” Allura winked.

 

“And did I?” Lance asked, suddenly nervous.

 

“With flying colors,” Allura soothed, and took a sip of her coffee. She made a face, “ugh, cold,” and put it down.

 

Lance chuckled. “If it was warmer a few ice cubes would make these even better.”

 

“Yes, they would.”

 

“So can we stop talking about our sex lives now?”

 

“Of course not. I still want to know who tops!”

 

“Okay, but we’re not talking about Shiro’s dick, right?”

 

“Not to worry, we won’t.”

 

“Okay, good.”

 

——

 

After thoroughly interrogating Lance on his sex life, Allura gave him a break by suggesting they watch a movie until his family arrived. She had recently gotten the new Pitch Perfect movie, and Shiro wouldn’t watch it with her.

 

“Hell yea I’ll watch it!” Lance exclaimed, “those girls are hilarious!”

 

They spent the next hour laughing and yelling at the screen. They were so wrapped up in the movie they didn’t hear the car pull up outside. When the doorbell rang, Lance fell off the couch in his haste to get it. He left Allura laughing at him on the couch with a grumble, but still stumbled in his rush to get the door.

 

He opened it, breathless and beaming. “You made it!” He stepped back to let his family in, taking the suitcase from his Mamá while she gave him a kiss on the cheek. Allura came up then, the movie paused or turned off behind them. “Mamá, Papá, this is Allura. Allura, these are my parents, Rosa and Sean, and Stella and Charlie.”

 

“It’s such a pleasure to meet you, welcome,” Allura jumped in smoothly, always the perfect hostess. There was a flurry of hand shakes, greetings, and hugs, then Allura motioned to the hallway. “Let me show you to your rooms. Once you’re settled, I’ll have coffee ready, and sodas in the fridge. Oh! And Lance brought a lovely selection of confections from the Bakery…”

 

Lance followed as Allura showed them the bathroom and their rooms, going in to the room he stayed in with Keith to put his mamá’s suitcase by the bed. He had to fight to keep down the blush, remembering his own night here. With a shake of his head he went back to the hallway, leaving his family to get settled, and joined Allura in the kitchen. “That wasn’t awkward at all,” he muttered to her.

 

“What?” she asked distractedly. She was measuring coffee into the filter.

 

“My parents are sleeping in the same bed where Keith and I first shared a bed to sleep.”

 

“You—wait, are you serious?” Allura set down what she was doing to fully face Lance. “Oh, Lance! You weren’t pressured into that, were you? If I’d have known we would have kicked Keith to the couch.”

 

Lance smiled. “No, don’t worry about that. Keith offered to do that anyway. I wanted to, it was a great night, and a great Christmas too.”

 

Allura sighed, relieved, and returned to making the coffee.

 

Stella and Charlie came out first, wide eyes taking in the stylish, modern space.

 

“Hey,” said Lance, opening his arms. They each tucked themselves under one arm. Stella scrutinized his neck, and Lance smiled. “The bruises are all gone, and my voice is fine as long as I don’t strain it or yell too loud.” He met Allura’s amused gaze over Charlie’s head and blushed.

 

“Oh, well good.” Stella hugged him tight, then stepped back. Charlie did too.

 

Lance turned to the fridge. “You guys want a soda?”

 

“Please,” said Stella.

 

“Yeah, thanks,” said Charlie.

  
Lance opened the fridge and waved them forward to choose their own drink.

 

“I didn’t know what you might like, so I got a variety,” Allura admitted.

 

“We’ll drink them,” Charlie promised. Lance elbowed his side, and he ducked his head. “Thank you.”

 

“What were you watching when we got here? We could hear you laughing from outside,” Stella asked.

 

“The new Pitch Perfect,” Lance whispered. 

 

Stella’s eyes widened. “Ooh, can we watch it too?”

 

“Of course,” answered Allura.

 

“Just make sure mom and dad aren’t here,” Lance stage whispered.

 

“Oh, yeah, right.” Stella grinned when Allura shook her head.

 

“Hey if we have time, are you gonna have that talk with us?” Charlie asked suddenly.

 

Lance nodded. “Definitely.” When Allura raised a brow at him, he whispered to her, “the safe sex talk.” She nodded her understanding.

 

Shortly after, Rosa and Sean came in. Lance teased that they were lured by the smell of Allura’s amazing coffee. Rosa laughed, but Sean nodded. Allura got up, but Lance waved her back down and served the coffee, making another cup for himself and Allura as well. Allura did grab the plate of pastries and set them on the counter where everyone could reach.

 

“How is your throat Lance?” Sean asked.

 

Lance set down his cup. “It’s getting better. I don’t have to wear a turtleneck to work any more since the bruises are gone, and I don’t go to bed with a sore throat most days any more. It still feels like something’s stuck in there after I eat, but that’s going away too.”

 

“Is that normal?” Rosa asked.

 

“Yeah, it’s pretty common.” Lance’s phone buzzed in his pocket, and he pulled it out to see who texted him. “Oh, sweet. Keith and Shiro are done for the day, and they closed early. You up for going out to dinner? Or they can pick up something to eat here.”

 

“I vote for staying in,” Sean said while raising his hand, “I’m not getting back in the car until at least tomorrow if not later.”

 

Lance nodded with a grin. “Fair enough.” He typed out his reply and sent it back.

 

**Lancey Lance**

Team fam votes for eating in. Papá refuses to get back in the car tonight

 

**Keef**

I don’t blame him

 

BBQ? Shiro is craving T’s tonight

 

**Lancey Lance**

There’s no objections here, so go for it

 

**Keef**

Sweet

 

See you in about an hour

 

Love you

 

**Lancey Lance**

Love you! <3

 

 

Allura cleared her throat, and Lance looked up. She rolled her eyes at the sappy smile still on his face and he flushed. “Sorry.”

 

“Don’t you see each other every day now?” she playfully accused.

 

Panic flashed through Lance, but he forced himself to remain calm. His fully informed parents were staying with a cohabiting couple. “Not really. With my early mornings and his late nights there’s some days where all we see of each other is the other one sleeping.” Lance shrugged.

 

There was an awkward silence. Sean was looking intently at one of Allura’s photographs on the wall, Rosa’s face was pinched, and the twins were taking far too much enjoyment out of their parents’ discomfort. Allura’s eyes widened, and she looked apologetically at Lance, who just shrugged again, cleared his throat, and announced, “uh, yeah. Keith moved in with me at the end of January.”

 

“Oh,” Rosa said, “that was…quick, wasn’t it?” Sean nudged her, and Rosa glared back.

 

“It probably was,” Lance admitted, “but Keith wanted out of his apartment, and a lease on another place would be for a year. It just…felt right. And my landlord is really nice, too. She didn’t even bat an eyelash when I asked if he could move in.”

 

Rosa frowned and opened her mouth to reply, but Sean cut her off, “that sounds logical. So it’s a two bedroom apartment?”

 

Lance paused, pressing his lips together, trying to center himself, when the twins burst out laughing. He saw Allura trying to hide her giggles behind her hand, and rolled his eyes.

 

“Keep thinking that, Papá, if it helps you feel better,” Stella teased, causing Charlie to burst into giggles all over again.

 

“I…what?” Sean asked.

 

“No, Papá. It’s one bedroom,” Lance explained, tone patient.

 

“Lance…” Rosa began.

 

Lance shook his head and held up his hands. “Mamá, please. I’m glad, so glad you’re trying to be okay with my relationship, but I’d really rather not discuss this with you.”

 

Rosa opened her mouth again, closed it, sighed, and said, “I agree.”

 

“Oh thank God,” Charlie moaned.

 

Lance’s phone buzzed again on the counter. Stella snatched it before he could. “Hey!”

 

“Aw! It’s Keef!” she cooed.

 

“Keef?” Sean asked.

 

Lance made to grab the phone from her, but she held it out of the way, ducking behind Charlie. “He says they’ve got the Bar-B-Q and are heading this way.” She unlocked the phone and started typing.

 

Lance huffed. “Please don’t harass my boyfriend.”

 

“Nah, he’s too cute. I prefer to harass you.”

 

“I appreciate that. What are you typing?”

 

“You’ll see, if you’d stop distracting me.”

 

“Fine, hurry up.”

 

Sean turned to Allura. “So Shiro and Keith are…brothers?”

 

Allura shook her head. “Technically they’re cousins, but Keith joined Shiro’s family when his own parents were killed in a car accident.”

 

“Oh, how tragic,” Rose murmured, “how old was he?”

 

Allura frowned, thinking. “I think five or six.” 

 

Rosa covered her mouth, muttering in Spanish under her breath. Lance reached out to pat her shoulder, and she met his gaze. Lance smiled, and Rosa’s shoulders relaxed. Keith just wormed his way into her heart, and he didn’t even have to try.

 

Stella handed Lance his phone back. She didn’t even bother to lock it, knowing Lance would immediately check to see what she wrote.

 

**Keef**

Hey. We’ve got the BBQ

 

**Lancey Lance**

Keith! It’s Stella

 

I miss you! Why don’t I have your number yet? That’s gotta change

 

Oh snap, Allura just ratted you guys out for moving in together. Mama and Papa look sooo uncomfortable right now

 

**Keef**

Hey Stella, I miss you guys too. Yeah I’ll be sure to exchange numbers with you before you go home this week

 

Wait what? Oh shit

 

Shiro told me to tell you sorry for cussing

 

And then yelled at me for apologizing wrong

 

**Lancey Lance**

OMG LOL tell him ‘thanks, dad’ for me

 

**Keef**

I changed my mind. I don’t want your number

 

**Lancey Lance**

Too late! You already promised

 

Okay, I just missed some angst. I’m giving his phone back now. Later!

 

**Keef**

See you soon

 

 

 

Lance looked up to see expectant eyes locked on him. “What?”

 

“You look weird with that love sick smile on your face,” Charlie said.

 

“Wow, thanks,” Lance muttered.

 

Allura reached over to set her coffee cup by the sink. “Care to share?”

 

Lance shrugged. “They were just teasing each other. It makes me happy to know they’re getting along.”

 

Allura hummed, then jumped up and moved to the entry when she heard the front door open.

 

“Food’s here!” boomed a deep, loud voice, “oh, hey sweets. Everyone settled in?”

 

“Mmm. Yes. Here I’ll take that,” Allura answered. “Lance! Come help!”

 

“Yes ma’am!” Lance answered. He wove his way through his family and headed to the front door. “Shiro! Dude, did you get one of everything off the menu or what?” He grabbed a bag and two boxes from Keith, accepting a kiss in the process while Shiro and Allura made their way to the kitchen.

 

“Or something,” Keith answered, “as in two of everything, I think.”

 

Shiro called from the kitchen, “T’s is always best the next day.”

 

“You are literally the only person I know who has that opinion,” Allura pointed out.

 

Lance grinned at Keith, stole another kiss, then followed him into the kitchen.

 

Shiro and Allura were setting up a buffet style assembly line across the bar, so Lance and Keith stood on the other side and helped fill in the gaps where Allura wanted each main and side.

 

“Apparently you’ve done this before,” Lance mused.

 

Shiro grinned. “Fourth of July, every year. It’s tradition.”

 

“Oo, nice. Hey, Chuck, Bells, try to plan on being here over the fourth.”

 

Stella gave Lance a thumbs up, while Charlie pumped his fist down to his hip a few times, grin spitting his face.

 

Once they got the food all lined up, Lance tugged on Keith’s sleeve and lead him over to his parents, who had moved back toward the dining table to make room for the set up. As they walked over, Lance quickly whispered, “Mamá just learned about your parents. Be prepared, she’s gonna hug you hard.” When Keith sent him a terrified but grateful look, Lance just smiled back and gently propelled him forward.

 

“So uh…I know we kinda did the whole formal introduction thing over Christmas, but um…”

 

“Keith,” Sean cut in, stretching out his hand to shake, “good to see you.” 

 

Keith took Sean’s hand with only the tiniest hesitation. “Mr. McClain.”

  
“Sean, please.”

 

“Sean.”

 

When they let go Rosa, as promised, reached out and pulled Keith into her best Mamá hug. “Oh, Keith. You call me Rosa, or Mamá, whichever you like.”

 

Keith’s arms hung limp by his sides for probably longer than was polite, until his brain kicked in and he awkwardly hugged her back. “Yes ma’am.”

 

“I’m so sorry about your family.”

 

“Thank you, Rosa.”

 

Keith let his arms fall, expecting the hug to be over, but Rosa held on. He looked over at Sean and Lance, eyes wide. Lance jumped in with, “and this is Shiro! Shiro, come say hi!”

 

Coming to the rescue, Shiro approached them with a beaming smile and his right hand extended, showing off the shiny metal of his prosthetic. “Mr. and Mr.s McClain, Takashi Shirogane, but everyone calls me Shiro. It is a pleasure to meet you.”

 

Rosa let Keith go while Sean, with only a moment’s hesitation, took his hand in a firm shake. “The pleasure is mine, Shiro.” He stepped aside, and Rosa took his place.

 

She gently took his prosthetic in both of hers, first giving it a squeeze. “Oh!” she exclaimed, surprised when he squeezed back. She dropped his hand and stared up at him.

 

“Ah, sorry. That was a glitch,” Shiro muttered with a sheepish grin. He lifted the hand and curled the fingers, then tucked it into his pocket.

 

Rosa sniffed. “Hm. What happened?”

 

Lance, panicked, hissed, “Mamá!” 

 

Rosa waved dismissively at him, eyes locked on Shiro, who was now smiling gently.

 

“I had the misfortune of putting my hand on a land mine in Afghanistan,” he answered.

 

“Marines?” Sean asked.

 

“Yes, sir.”

 

“Their friend Matt is like Tony Stark and built this hand for him,” said Charlie. That sparked a moment of awkward silence.

 

“Anyway,” Keith said, a little louder than necessary, “the Bar-B-Q is getting cold. Let’s eat.”

 

That spurred the group into action. Lance’s family were sent through the line first, then Lance and Keith, and finally Allura and Shiro. They gathered around the table, paper plates piled with BBQ, plastic flatware in hands, soda cans or a bottled water by each plate. Lance grinned at the sight in Shiro and Allura’s fancy modern kitchen slash dining room.

 

“I love your fancy dishes and silverware,” he teased, waving around the cheap white fork. That finally broke the last of the tension as everyone either chuckled along or groaned good-naturedly.

 

Allura jumped right into the joke. “I only bring these out for the special guests.”

 

“That just means we aren’t special,” Keith muttered loudly. Lance gasped and dramatically pressed his palm to his chest.

 

“He does have a point,” Shiro said to Allura.

 

She laughed and shook her head. “I’ll be sure to remedy that next time.”

 

The rest of the meal was passed with quiet talking, people coming in and out of conversation with each other easily and almost seamlessly. Lance was thrilled.

 

After the meal, Rosa and Sean decided to settle down for the night, and Stella and Charlie weren’t far behind. Lance and Keith bid them all good night and went home themselves. Coran and Shiro were closing their Tuesday for the hearing, so tomorrow was going to be busy for all of them, and Lance needed to get to bed early in order to open in the morning.

 

They got home, got ready for bed, and settled down with the salt lamp on low for Keith. They snuggled up, Lance with his face tucked into Keith’s shoulder, and fell asleep while Keith played on his phone until he too went to sleep, a few hours later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eh? You like? This chapter felt rushed, but probably because I wanted to just touch some points along the way and get to the pre-hearing stuff. Hopefully the steamy scenes made up for it?
> 
> As always, thank you a thousand times over for all your love and support. The hits, comments, and kudos keep coming, and I'm as always blown away by the number of subscriptions and bookmarks this fic has.
> 
> Come see me on tumblr! [krysblack](http://krysblack.tumblr.com) I'm currently doing a 100 follower giveaway! If you're on tumblr, and wanna enter, you have until March 31, 2018 11:59 CST Check out the post [here](https://krysblack.tumblr.com/post/172038120367/100-follower-fic-giveaway)


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance goes to court! And then lots of things fall into place in the aftermath.
> 
> Also, there's a bit of Kink talk/negotiation at the end omg I'm so embarrassed!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah! Ha...haha I just wrote kink. I mean, I've written kink before, (have you read Caught? I'm kinda still in love with it, but it was my first publicly published fic ever so...it's my baby y'know?) but I wasn't planning to put kink in here...
> 
> then I did and god I hope it fits! I think it does? Eh...also, if I did it wrong, please let me know! I don't want to perpetuate something that's unhealthy or harmful, but I think I did it right? 
> 
> Anyway, please enjoy!

Lance didn’t see his family at all on Monday. He opened and closed the Bakery, shared a quick ‘I love you’ when Keith picked up their pastries, and then drove straight to the meeting he had with his lawyer. Keith had offered to take time off to go with him the day before, but Shiro’s stressed frown had Lance gently refusing, so he went alone.

 

He arrived just in time. When he walked through the door, the receptionist smiled and pointed right to his lawyer’s door. “She’s ready for you.”

 

Lance smiled nervously. “Thanks. I’m not late, am I?”

 

“No,” she replied, “you’re right on time.”

 

“Good.” Lance approached the door, knocked, and opened the door when he was called inside. “Hi, Miss Meyers.”

 

“Mr. McClain, good to see you,” said Miss Meyers, “are you ready for tomorrow?” She waved him in and gestured to the seats in front of her desk.

 

Lance took the seat, but refused when she offered him something to drink. “I hope so. I’m nervous, and I’m a little scared that this will end with Keith getting in trouble for punching Lotor. No, scratch that. I’m a lot scared. I’m terrified.”

 

“The worst Keith would get for a punch to the face is a fine, and maybe some community service,” Miss Meyers soothed, “but with the amount of complaints against Mr. Zarkon, your statement, and the cooperation of the four servers at Taste, I can confidently say that the likelihood of that happening is very, very slim. Mr. Zarkon’s lawyer is good, but not that good.”

 

Miss Meyers smiled at Lance, and he felt most of his worries and fears fade away. Her confidence set him at ease in a way even Keith couldn’t do in this situation. “Thanks.”

 

“Just doing my job. Now,” she opened the file in front of her and got down to business, “let’s go over how this is going to play out tomorrow.”

 

****

 

_5:00_

_Tuesday, February 20_

 

Lance groaned quietly, eyes squinting against the dim light of his phone. He’d come home last night to an empty apartment, as expected, ate half of his dinner, tried to watch something on Netflix, and ended up in bed by seven thirty because he didn’t know what else to do. He’d fallen into a fitful sleep sometime between then and Keith coming home at two, woke up when he got in bed, and hugged him close as he apologized for disturbing him. Now it was five and he was up. He knew trying to go back to sleep would just mess him up even more since they were due at the courthouse at nine. 

 

He shifted away from Keith a little, paused when he stirred and mumbled, then rolled out of bed when he settled again. He decided to indulge in a bath bomb, hoping it would help settle his nerves, and padded quietly to the bathroom.

Five minutes later, he was relaxing in the hottest water he could stand, a fizzing ball bleeding yellow, and then pink into the water. He’d just leaned back and closed his eyes when there was a knock at the bathroom door.

 

“Come in,” he called quietly, his expression apologetic as Keith shuffled in with a yawn, “aw babe, I’m sorry I woke you.”

 

Keith paused to scrub at his face and push his hair back. “It’s fine. Couldn’t sleep?” He closed the door and stepped over to the toilet. “Mind if I pee?”

 

“Go ahead,” Lance answered, amused. He waited until Keith finished, eyes slipping closed again. He heard the flush, then the sink running, and finally moist fingers running through his hair. He heaved a sigh and cracked open one eye, “yeah, couldn’t sleep any more. Too nervous.”

 

“Me too.” Keith had crouched beside the tub, eyes still bleary from too little sleep. “You want some coffee? I’m gonna go make me some.”

 

Lance smiled. “Mm…yes please. Then you’ll sit with me?”

 

“Sure.”

 

Keith left, mindful to close the door again and keep the steamy warmth inside the bathroom. Lance relaxed a little more, and grabbed the rolled up hand towel he had on hand to tuck behind his neck. Finally settled, he closed his eyes again, hands drifting through the swirls of yellow and pink, little purple-blue flowers floating around and sticking to his limbs, and listened to Keith move around the kitchen. 

 

He must have drifted off again, because the next thing he knew, the bathroom door was opening and the rich aroma of his favorite coffee was rousing him again. He hummed, eyes landing first on the two mugs, then on the man holding them as he shouldered the door closed. He reached out to accept his mug, and smiled at Keith as he sat cross-legged on the floor by the tub and leaned against it lazily.

 

They sipped quietly for a while, comforted by each others company. When Lance’s coffee was half gone, he set it on his knee and tipped his head back. “I hope this is it, today.”

 

“Hmm?”

 

“Just…the hearing, and court. I hope we can go in, do what we’re supposed to do, and then it’s over, and Lotor goes away, and we can get back to our lives and forget he was ever here.”

 

“I think that’s exactly what’s going to happen.”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Mm-hmm. And on top of that, they’ll actually leave. Mr. Z will sell the restaurant, and someone cool will take it over and make it better, and then Hunk can go back and we can go too and it’ll be nice, and fun, and the food will still be amazing, and no one will harass us or assault you or anything like that.”

 

“Yes.” Lance hummed when Keith leaned over to press a kiss to his temple.

 

“Hmm…you smell good.”

 

“Hah, that’s the bath bomb.”

 

“But it’s on you, which makes it better.”

 

“Are you buttering me up for something?” Lance cut a glance at Keith, who simply shrugged, but there was a smirk lingering around his mouth.

 

Keith nuzzled a bit closer, lips trailing to Lance’s ear. “If you want I could help…take the edge off?” He reached up to trail his fingers along Lance’s arm.

 

Lance moaned quietly, but it was less aroused and more frustrated. “As much as I’d like that, I’m too keyed up.”

 

The fingers on his arm turned into Keith’s full hand rubbing soothingly over his bicep. He bumped his forehead to Lance’s temple. “Okay.”

 

“Sorry.”

 

Keith shook his head and sat back. “Don’t be sorry. It’s okay to not be in the mood, for whatever reason.”

 

“Do you want…?”

 

“Nah, I’m not really in the mood either.”

 

“Oh.” Lance chuckled, and Keith smiled back. They finished their coffees, then Lance drained the tub and invited Keith to join him in the shower.

 

——

 

When Lance and Keith arrived at the court house, everyone was already there, gathered off to the side, waiting for them. There was a round of hugs for both of them, and then the slow process of going through the security checkpoint to get into the building.

 

Miss Meyers was waiting just inside for them, and greeted them with a warm smile. “Are you ready?”

 

“Ready for this to be over,” Lance replied.

 

“That’s what we’re here to do,” she soothed, and led them to the court room.

 

——

 

“What do you think?” Lance asked when they were given a break. He was seated with his Lawyer, and everyone else had filled the seats behind him.

 

So far, all the evidence had been brought forward, Lance gave his statement, and Keith and two of the servers from Taste had been called forward as well. Lotor’s lawyer did his best to shake their confidence and invalidate their claims, calling much of the presented evidence into question.

 

“He’s grasping at straws,” Keith said, “he’s already tried to file motions against our evidence, and even against the officers who came when Shiro called. But everything’s been done right and there’s nothing he can say to make the truth a lie.”

 

“He’s right,” Miss Meyers confirmed, “now be prepared. He’s going to put everything he can to make Mr. Zarkon appear innocent, and Mr. Zarkon will do his best to charm the jury to his favor. Don’t let it fluster you. Stay calm and don’t react to anything he says, okay?”

 

“Yeah.” Lance nodded, but his hands were clammy and he wanted to wring them until they strangled each other.

 

——

 

Lance itched to put his face in his hands, but Lotor’s smug smirk kept him from showing any apprehension or fear. The jury just left to deliberate, and would be gone a minimum of fifteen minutes.

 

Fortunately, Lotor’s lawyer led him and Mr. Z out of the room shortly after. Once the doors closed, Lance reached for Keith and was pulled into a comforting hug.

 

“He’s gonna get off, isn’t he?” he mumbled.

 

“He may think so, but I think the jury was on to him,” Miss Meyers said confidently.

 

Lance hummed, but didn’t say anything else. Keith held him until Lotor and his group came back in, just in time for the jury’s return.

 

——

 

_Guilty_

 

Lance was shocked. He thought for sure Lotor would get away with what he’d done, and Lance would have this shadow looming in his memory forever.

 

But not only was Lotor guilty, Mr. Z was also in trouble for knowing what he was doing and letting it happen, despite his little sob story of not knowing how to handle his son’s ‘strange obsessions’. 

 

Lotor was charged with felony battery, and sentenced to three years of probation and $4,000 in fines. On top of that, he was charged another hefty fine to cover Lance’s hospital and lawyer expenses, as well as restitution for the emotional toll, and court-mandated counseling following a full psyche evaluation. Mr. Z. was also fined, and ordered to three months of community service.

 

The only thing Lance was grateful for was the court-ordered lifetime restraining order Lotor was forced to sign. After leaving the court house, Lance would never have to see him again. It also meant he couldn’t go to Taste as long as Mr. Z. owned the restaurant, but it was worth knowing he’d be safe.

 

Lotor’s lawyer led him and Mr. Z. out first with a police escort to finalize their sentences.

 

Miss Meyers turned to Lance with a smile. “Congratulations Mr. McClain.”

 

“Thanks,” he replied, shaking her offered hand in a daze. 

 

They waited another minute, then she led the group back out and to the main entrance. “I hope this won’t be the case, but if you’re ever in need of my services again, please don’t hesitate to call.”

 

Lance chuckled as Keith took his hand and said, “we hope the same, but I’ve got your number saved just in case. Thank you.”

 

Miss Meyers nodded, smiled, and left them by the entrance.

 

“Well,” Coran began after a short silence, “that was quick, shall we go for lunch to celebrate?”

 

There were no objections, so Shiro turned to Lance and asked, “where do you want to go?”

 

“Honestly?” Lance said with a grin, “Waffle House.”

 

****

 

They all ended up at Shiro and Allura’s house, some enjoying the surprisingly warm weather while others vegged in the living room and chatted over coffee while soft music played in the background.

 

Lance was outside with Keith and the twins, relaxing in chairs and loungers, relishing in the warm sun and a cool breeze.

 

Suddenly Stella sat up and looked over at Lance, who had his head tilted back and eyes closed behind his sunglasses.

 

“Wussup Bells?” he said, having heard her move and feeling the weight of her stare.

 

“Can we see your tattoo?”

 

“Oh! Yeah sure.” He sat up and unbuttoned his dress shirt, shrugged it off, and hiked up the sleeve on the white tee he wore underneath. “This is the best it’s looked so far, too, now that all the skin and scabs are gone.”

 

Stella wrinkled her nose. “Gross, I didn’t need to know that.”

 

“Too bad.”

 

Charlie joined Stella by Lance’s left side. “Tell me again why I have to share a star with her?” he asked, pointing a thumb at Stella.

 

“Because like this it looked symmetrical. I mean, you guys and Keith got the biggest stars, so no complaining.”

 

“Lancito, it looks really good!” Stella gushed, “even better in person, of course.”

 

“Yeah,” agreed Charlie.

 

“Thanks, guys. It’s been a huge plus having a tattoo artist boyfriend, he makes sure I take good care of it.”

 

“Can’t let Shiro’s hard work go to waste,” Keith said from Lance’s other side. He’d been laying on a lounge chair.

 

“Aw, babe I thought you were asleep.” Lance reached over to pat his leg.

 

Keith turned his head their way, sunglasses glinting. “I dozed for a bit, but nah.”

 

“You can crash in our room if you need to,” Stella offered.

 

Keith shook his head. “At this point if I nap it’ll mess me up worse than pushing through until tonight.” He stretched, back arching, and sat up, then redid his little pony tail.

 

“Guys! You’re not going to believe this,” Hunk’s voice boomed from the open back door. “Lance! Keith! Come check this out!”

 

Lance frowned, but got up and followed the twins inside, who’d jumped up immediately to see what the fuss was about. Keith was close behind, one finger hooked through a belt loop on Lance’s slacks. When they entered, Hunk waved them into the living room where he’d connected his phone to the TV. His e-mail app was open, and Lance saw the most recent was from the Northwest Florida Daily News web page announcing a new article.

 

“You need to sit down for this,” Hunk warned. Since all the available seats were taken, they settled on the floor in front of the larger couch while Stella and Charlie sat in front of the other one. Hunk opened the news e-mail, and then the link it gave to the article.

  
On the TV, the screen switched to the web browser, opening the mentioned article. The headline told them all more than enough:

 

**LOCAL RESTAURANT FOR SALE:**

**OWNER CLAIMS NO CORRELATION TO ASSAULT CHARGE**

 

“Uh…is that what I think it is?” Pidge asked.

 

“He must have planned this, he must have known Lotor would be found guilty,” Shiro added.

 

Hunk shrugged. “Yeah, I think so. I read the article. He talks about business being slower than usual, but stresses that it had nothing to do with Lotor’s very public arrest, even though it started almost immediately after. Of course, he was a big donor to this newspaper so they’re skewing this way in his favor. I checked, and a few other news sites like the Destin Log and the Walton Sun have already posted response articles including unedited quotes from the servers and the information publicly available from the police and the court house.”

 

“At least he knows when to cut and run. He’d have probably gone out of business if he’d tried to keep running that place,” said Lance as he leaned against Keith, who wrapped an arm around his shoulder.

 

“Good riddance, I say,” said Coran, and there was a murmur of assent.

  
“I wonder who will take it over,” Allura mused, tucked in between Coran and Shiro on the bigger couch.

 

“Hey! Hunk, you and Shay could totally run a restaurant!” Lance exclaimed.

 

Shay laughed while Hunk blushed and waved his hands in front of himself. “Uh…I’m not so sure about that. Besides, what would Coran do?”

 

“Send you off with well wishes and find another baker,” said Coran, “Lance can take over Shay’s position easily, and there’s plenty of time before summer to fill the assistant position as well.” Hunk kept shaking his head, but Coran tutted at him. “I know you’ve wanted a place of your own to run for years now. You can’t work for me forever.”

 

“I know! But…this is a little soon, isn’t it? I mean…Shay! Help me out here!”

 

Shay grinned, grabbed Hunk’s arm, and said, “what? Are you scared?”

 

Hunk looked her in the eye and said, completely serious, “terrified.”

 

“Hunk,” Keith called in the following tenseness, “we’ve got your back.”

 

Shiro nodded. “Yeah.”

 

There were murmurs of assent all around, except from Sean and Rosa, who stayed silent but were watching with smiles on their faces.

 

Shay beamed up at Hunk, who finally smiled back. “Yeah, okay.”

 

Lance and Coran cheered, and Allura stood up, phone in hand.

 

“Okay, I’ve got some contacts with several local news sources. If this is going to happen we’ll need sympathetic publicity, or Mr. Zarkon might refuse to sell to you. Shay, contact the realtor right away,” she said, then walked off down the hall, phone already at her ear. 

 

Shay squeezed Hunk’s arm and led him to the back door to make the requested call.

 

“Wow,” said Lance, “this is gonna be awesome.”

 

Coran hummed in agreement. “It’s a good example of how good can come out of a bad situation.”

 

“Yeah.” Lance snuggled closer to Keith, laying his head on his shoulder, and hummed when Keith pressed a kiss to the top of his head.

 

“So do you have someone in mind?” Shiro asked.

 

“Possibly,” said Coran, “I have a few good resumes in my files from the last few months.”

 

Lance perked up. “Hey! Yeah! What was her name, Olia? She brought in samples and they were really good!”

 

“Yes, she’s the first I thought of as well,” Coran replied. “I’ll have to take another look at my notes.”

 

“Did you say Olia?” Shiro sat up, eyes brightening, “Matt went to undergrad with someone named Olia. She got her bachelors of science something, then bounced off to culinary school. Matt always spoke highly of her.”

 

Pidge perked up at that, “hey, yeah! I remember her. She was cool.”

 

“That rings a bell, I think she may be that Olia,” said Coran, fingers twirling his mustache, “it would be nice to keep things among friends, wouldn’t it?”

 

Shay and Hunk came back in, holding hands and smiling brightly. Lance raised his brows. “Good news?”

 

“I think so,” Shay answered, “the realtor mentioned that most of the calls she’d received so far were super low bids or insults to her character for being Mr. Z.’s realtor. She also said that Mr. Z. is leaving the sale completely up to her so she doesn’t even have to tell him it’s us, he just wants it sold as soon as possible.” Hunk kissed her temple and she giggled.

 

“I called the bank, we have a meeting tomorrow to get the loan paperwork started,” he added, “but I think it’ll go through. We’ve been saving for a long time, and have a down payment the guy on the phone said was ‘impressive’.”

 

“That’s great to hear,” said Shiro.

 

Shay nodded, hesitated, then said, “we’re gonna head out. It’s been an exciting day, and…”

 

“Yeah, totally,” Lance answered when Shay trailed off. They all knew Hunk sometimes needed time to himself when things got too overwhelming. He got up and hugged Shay tight, then gently patted Hunk on the shoulder. 

 

Hunk smiled and pulled him into a hug as well. Lance would never admit this out loud, but he always felt so safe when Hunk hugged him tight, surrounding him with his strong arms. It helped that he was soft and warm too. Lance squeezed tight. “I’m so excited for you, big guy.”

 

“Thanks. I’m just glad you’re okay, and that jerk got what was coming.”

 

“Okay, honey,” Shay teased, “we all love Lance, but leave some for Keith okay?”

 

Hunk pulled back with a grumble, and Lance laughed. They waved goodbye to everyone else and left.

 

“I should get out of here too,” Coran said, standing up, “I’ve got to head in early tomorrow to catch up on paperwork.” He squeezed Shiro’s shoulder, hugged Lance, and shook hands with Sean and Rosa. “It was a pleasure to meet you, despite the unfortunate circumstances.”

 

Sean nodded. “Yes. We…are grateful for the love and support you’ve shown our son in our absence.”

 

Coran smiled sadly. “Change is difficult, especially when it comes to your children.”

 

“Do you have children?” Rosa asked.

 

“None of my own,” Coran shook his head, “but I’ve taken in and befriended many who were in need of a parental kind of support, especially those that don’t fall into their parent’s ideal standards of gender or sexuality.”

 

Rosa frowned, but let the jab slide, recognizing the slight for what it was, and acknowledgement of how they all got here. 

 

Sean recovered first and said, “it seems to be an unfortunate necessity, but I’m glad you were there for him.”

 

“As am I,” Coran replied, then turned to the door. He paused by the hall when he heard footsteps and smiled at Allura when she came into view.

 

“Leaving already?” she asked as he pulled her into a hug.

 

He kissed her temple. “Yes, I’ve got paperwork waiting in the morning. When is your trip?”

 

Allura stepped back and looked up in thought. “Not for another two weeks. I’ll pop by Sunday.”

 

“See that you do,” Coran teased, “bye-bye love.”

 

“Love you.” Allura opened the door for him, then came back to the living room. She paused at the strange looks Lance’s parents were giving her. “Yes?”

 

Shiro waved Allura over. “Coran is Allura’s uncle,” he told them.

 

Sean accepted that with a nod, while understanding dawned on Rosa’s face. “You really are a family.”

 

Shiro nodded while Allura hummed in response and joined him on the couch. Lance plopped down next to her, and Keith shuffled over to lean against his legs.

 

Shiro looked over and said, “Is everyone okay with leftover Bar-B-Que? Or I can make sandwiches for dinner.”

 

“Who is ever not okay with leftover Bar-B-Que?” Lance asked, to which Allura raised her hand. He stared at her, face a mask of shock. “Allura? _You?_ I would never have imagined!” he teased.

 

“Ha ha,” she panned, but smiled anyway. 

 

Shiro kissed her cheek and got up, “I’ll fix you something, and warm up the leftovers.”

 

“Thank you, love.”

 

“I’ll help,” Keith offered, and followed Shiro into the kitchen.

 

——

 

“Oh man, that was nice but I’m so glad to be home,” Keith moaned as Lance closed the door to their apartment.

 

“Same,” Lance whined, flopping face first onto the couch.

 

Keith smiled and went to the kitchen to put away the BBQ Shiro somehow convinced them to take home. Once everything was put away he joined Lance on the couch, stretching out on top of him and burying his face between his shoulder blades.

 

“Oof, ugh, Keith!” Lance wriggled to shift him off, but he wouldn’t budge.

 

“Hmm?” Keith settled himself down harder, “you’re comfy.”

 

“Yeah, right. Ugh, c’mon! Get up!”

 

Keith sighed, “fine,” and sat up, straddling Lance’s thighs to run his hands down his back to rest on the swell of his ass. “This is a pretty sight.”

 

Lance hummed, wiggling his ass under Keith’s hands. “Would be prettier if I was naked,” he teased.

 

“And on our bed.”

 

“So why are you still sitting on me here?”

 

That got Keith moving. He hopped up and helped Lance stand, but instead of going straight to their room he paused, cupped Lance’s cheeks, and kissed him sweetly.

 

“I’m so glad this is all over, and you’re okay,” he murmured in the small space between them.

 

Lance smiled. “Yeah, me too.”

 

What was almost a frantic, heated situation immediately became slow and tender. They walked calmly to their room, and Keith got the bed ready while Lance undressed and put his clothes in the hamper. He laid down on the towel while Keith took his turn taking his clothes off and held the lube between his palms to start warming it up.

 

Keith crawled up the bed, hovering over Lance, and kissed him again- still sweet, but deeper, more passionate. He maintained that mood, and their kiss, while he took the lube and slicked his fingers. His lips traced Lance’s jaw when he slipped one finger in, kissed his neck when he began to thrust. His mouth didn’t wander far, only going down to Lance’s collar bone before trailing back up to capture his lips again when a second finger joined the first.

 

Lance arched, pleasure simmering low and comfortable in his veins. A few quiet pleasured noises came from him, but mostly the only sounds were from their kissing and Keith’s fingers working him open slow and gentle. Lance hadn’t experienced pleasure like this. Yes, pleasure from Keith’s fingers, but the intent felt so different. He felt safe, loved, cherished from Keith’s gentle movements and tender kisses.

 

It took much longer like this for Keith to get him ready, but time was something Lance completely forgot about with all this. He gasped when Keith added a third finger and pressed into his prostate, the spike in pleasure making his skin tingle. Still, he didn’t feel teased or impatient.

 

An eternity, and yet only a moment later, Keith gently withdrew his fingers and slicked up his cock. When the head pressed against Lance’s hole, he raised his head to lock eyes with him, and whispered, “I love you.”

 

Lance sighed, melting into the mattress, and whispered back, “I love you.”

 

Keith slowly pressed in, and they both gasped when the head of his cock breached his hole. Lance sighed into the sensation, and Keith groaned as he slid the rest of the way in. He immediately began a slow, gentle rhythm that matched the tone he’d set so far.

 

Lance wrapped his legs around Keith’s waist, and his arms around his neck while Keith gently cupped Lance’s cheeks in his palms. They locked eyes again, until a thrust against his prostate had Lance tossing his head back with a moan. Still, Keith kept the same pace, though not long after he upped the intensity and strength of his thrusts.

 

They clung to each other, chests heaving from panting breaths, skin glowing with a light sheen of sweat. Lance arched his back, and Keith buried his face in the crook of his neck as he aimed and hit Lance’s prostate now with almost every thrust.

 

Lance’s orgasm took him unexpectedly. He gasped and shuddered, mouth open in a silent moan as he came between their bellies. Keith followed him over with an ‘a-ah!’ of surprise. They clung to each other afterward, both shivering with aftershocks.

 

When they were able to move again, they got up, cleaned up, and got ready for bed without a word spoken between them. All done, Keith got the lights. They slid under the blankets, snuggled up close, and fell asleep with tender warmth filling their hearts.

 

****

 

Lance and Keith had a chance to have the ‘consent talk’ with Stella and Charlie the next morning. They’d begged their parents to let them go hang out with them after Allura told them about the new spa that had recently opened in Destin. Reluctantly, they agreed that some time alone together would do them some good as well. They brought the twins over, hovered just inside the door, and left quickly. 

 

“I don’t think they were ready for that,” Lance moaned when he closed the door. He smiled at Stella’s giggle. “So. Welcome to our place.”

 

“It’s cute,” she said after she took her hand away from her mouth. 

 

Lance let them wander around and look at everything while he checked on the breakfast casserole he whipped up after they called to see if he had time. He was, fortunately, scheduled to work at 12 today instead of the ass crack of dawn so he was glad to have them over, according to Charlie, ‘super early’.

 

Well, it was super early for Keith, even though he went to sleep earlier than his normal the night before, and was currently still in bed. Lance did make sure Keith knew they were coming, and tossed the blanket back over him after he got up.

 

“Where’s Keith?” Charlie asked, sprawled on the couch.

 

“Still—“

 

“I’m here,” came Keith’s voice from the bedroom door. He was sleep rumpled, hair a mess, but at least he’d pulled on flannel pants and a tee shirt. He shuffled to the bathroom, folded clothes in his arms, and disappeared again with a quiet click.

 

Lance shook his head with a fond smile while Stella giggled. 

 

“How do you handle that much cute?” she asked, sliding onto a bar stool.

 

Charlie groaned and buried his face in his phone.

 

“I don’t get to see it very often,” Lance lamented, “I’m usually up and gone long before he wakes up, which makes it all the cuter when I do witness it.” He turned to the coffee machine when they heard the shower start, starting a cup for Keith. Then the oven dinged, and he pulled out the casserole, setting it on a pair of folded kitchen towels.

 

“So…” Stella hedged, “I know you said we’d talk on our visit this summer, but Charlie and I have done some research, and we’re here now, and…I’d really like to know what you want to say about the whole…consent thing.”

 

“Yeah, me too,” Charlie called.

 

Lance smiled, pulling out plates and flatware, placing two sets on the bar and the other two on the counter. “I had a feeling that was why you wanted to come hang out. You’re heading home tomorrow, right?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Yea, we can do that. I’d rather sooner than later too, just in case.”

 

The shower shut off.

 

Lance moved the casserole to the spot of counter by their plates, put Keith’s coffee beside himself, and mimed a count-down on his fingers. Stella looked confused, but Lance merely grinned as he got closer and closer, finally counting down 3…2…1…and pointed at the bathroom door.

 

As if planned, Keith opened the door and came out, dressed for the day in black jeans and a long-sleeved Voltron Tattoo shirt.

 

“Woah…” Stella breathed, “how did you do that?”

 

“Do what?” Keith asked, sliding up next to Lance to wrap an arm around his waist. They shared a quick kiss, then Keith immediately turned to the cup of coffee set out for him with a contented sigh. “Thanks.”

 

Lance chuckled. “Keith’s predictable like that.” At Keith’s suspicious glare, he elaborated, “I can count down to the second after you’re done showering when you’ll be ready.”

 

“Oh. Yeah, that.” Keith shrugged. “I can do the same with you, it just takes you longer.”

 

“True.”

 

Charlie groaned again. “Gross.”

 

“Okay, Pidge. Come eat.”

 

“I’m not Pidge?” Charlie said, confused, but got up and joined Stella at the bar.

 

“No, but you sound an awful lot like them,” Lance teased, then dished up the casserole between them.

 

****

 

**Allura**

We’re doing Shiro’s birthday breakfast on Thursday at the Bakery. Can I enlist you to get everyone a coffee from next door?

 

Tell Coran, he’ll give you the money for it.

 

**Lancey Lance**

I’d be glad to!

 

Anything else I can help with or do?

 

**Allura**

No, but thank you.

 

See you Thursday!

 

**Lancey Lance**

Sure thing!

 

****

 

Twenty minutes before they were due to arrive on Thursday, Lance popped next door to the Cafe. The manager was manning the counter, to which Lance sighed in relief.

 

“Good morning,” he said when Lance walked in, “what can I get for you today?”

 

Lance approached the counter. “I’ve got a big order today, so I wrote it all down.” He pulled a slip of paper from his pocket and handed it over.

 

“Is that today?” the manager asked, and smiled, “time flies.” He rang up the order, then marked the appropriate cups for the barista before giving Lance the total.

 

He paid, and looked over the receipt while he waited for the coffees to be made. “Um, excuse me.”

 

“Yes?”

 

“You undercharged me, there’s a black coffee missing,” Lance said, showing the manager the receipt.

 

“No, I didn’t,” he replied, “Shiro’s coffee is on the house. Tell him Happy Birthday.”

 

“Oh. Thanks!”

 

The manager waved a hand and wandered into the back.

 

Shortly after, two four-cup drink holders were placed on the counter beside him laden with various coffees. One set were, thankfully, all the same height, so he stacked the other on top of those and carefully exited the cafe. 

 

The door suddenly left his back and he straightened, eyes landing on Keith’s amused smile. “Oh! Hey baby.”

 

“Hi.” Keith took the top set of coffees, smile widening at Lance’s relieved sigh. “C’mon.”

 

Shiro and Allura were waiting just outside the Bakery, and Shiro opened the door for them when they caught up.

 

The next few minutes were a flurry of action. Coran and Pidge had set up some tables and were putting out the finishing touches, Lance and Keith were figuring out which coffee was for whom, and Hunk and Shay set out pastries and cookies. When that was settled, there was a chorus of ‘Happy Birthday’s, hugs, and kisses, and then they all sat down to eat.

 

It was, fortunately, a slower morning. Twice someone came in for something. Hunk helped the first person, Lance the second. It was really nice, despite half of them being officially at work.

 

There were no gifts, which seemed to be an unspoken tradition among them. Keith explained once that significant others would do gifts in private, like Lance did for him, but they all knew budgets were a pain and so it just happened that everyone agreed to a no-gift rule without actually discussing it all together.

 

But there was one more surprise. Shiro cleared his throat and scooted his chair back, but didn’t stand. Instead, he straightened, looked around at everyone, and smiled.

 

“I really appreciate you all taking the time to celebrate with me today,” he started. Everyone nodded or murmured their agreement. “But I have something I need to do, and since you’re all already here…” he trailed off and turned to Allura, “I need to brag on my beautiful girlfriend.” 

 

Pidge groaned, which started a round of chuckles. Shiro waved away the interruption to continue, “I know you guys know how amazing she is. She’s smart, successful, did I say beautiful? She’s popular, and yet somehow decided she’d put up with me and my crazy hours instead of someone much more deserving.”

 

“Nonsense,” she replied, voice shaking a little at the unexpected attention.

 

“We all know I don’t deserve you,” Shiro countered, “but that’s beside the point. So much has happened recently, and I don’t want to take away from Lance’s victory, or Hunk and Shay’s new adventure, but this is something I’ve been planning for a while, and I’m afraid if I don’t do it now I’ll lose my nerve.”

 

Lance gripped Keith’s arm tight, and they shared a knowing look. Keith smiled, and Lance’s eyes teared up, he couldn’t believe he would witness something like this with his new family.

 

“Allura,” Shiro said, voice suddenly more formal than anyone here had heard before. He scooted back a little more, took Allura’s left hand in his flesh one, and kneeled on the floor beside her. His prosthetic had slipped into his pocket at some point during his speech, and was now holding a beautiful diamond ring. Allura gasped, and the sound was echoed by Lance, Shay, and Coran. “I love you more than I ever imagined I could love anyone. I know we already do all the things married people do, but it would still be the greatest honor of my life if you’d marry me.”

 

There was a heavy pause. Lance was holding his breath, and he felt sure that everyone else was too.

 

Allura had covered her mouth with her free hand, eyes wide and shining. Suddenly tears were spilling down her cheeks as she heaved a sob and nodded frantically. There was a collective sigh of relief while Shiro slid the engagement ring on her third finger with a dazed smile. They hugged, then kissed, and Lance couldn’t help himself. He started clapping, and laughed when everyone else joined in, even Pidge. Were they smiling? Huh…they were.

 

When the excitement died down, Shiro returned to his seat, but didn’t let go of Allura’s hand, an overwhelmed smile on his face.

 

“Great,” Pidge said, tone flat, “he’s going to be useless all day.”

 

Keith shook his head, “didn’t we make sure he had no appointments today anyway?”

 

“Oh. Right. Yea,” Pidge turned to Shiro, “congratulations, happy birthday, go home with your fiancé.”

 

Shiro blinked, confused for a moment, then shook himself and blushed. “Uh, thanks.”

 

“Oh my god, that is _not_ what I meant,” Pidge groaned while everyone else laughed.

 

They all pitched in to clean up, then Shay and Lance crowded around Allura to look at and coo over the ring. 

 

“Are you gonna announce it on your blog?” Lance asked.

 

Allura shook her head. “No. I like to keep my business strictly business. But I will be spamming my Instagram for at least a week.” She tossed Shiro a beaming smile, who was very much simultaneously pleased and annoyed at the idea.

 

They gushed a bit more, before Shiro gently took her waist and said their goodbyes. They let them go with more birthday wishes and congratulations. They left with their arms linked, heads tilted close together.

 

Keith slipped his arm over Lance’s shoulder and kissed his temple. “Gotta go. See you tonight?”

 

“Mmh. Probably not. Opening again tomorrow.”

 

“In that case…” Keith tugged him off to the side and kissed him properly. When he stepped back, Lance looked a bit dazed, and he smiled. “See you later.”

 

“Yeah,” Lance breathed, shook himself, and smiled back, “love you.”

 

“Love you.”

 

****

 

“Hey, Coran,” Hunk called suddenly from his station. He was running dough through the sheeter for croissants, and sounded far too casual, not to mention awake, for 5am. 

 

“Yes, Hunk?” Coran replied from his office.

 

“Shay and I need to leave an hour early today,” he began, a tremor of excitement in his voice.

 

Coran moved into the kitchen to give Hunk his full attention, “what for, young man?”

 

Hunk hunched his shoulders, ran the dough through the sheeter one more time, and turned to his boss. “We’re signing the paperwork for the mortgage today, and then the closing will be in two weeks.” He somehow managed to get all of that out without stuttering in his excitement. 

 

“I see,” Coran said with a grin, “that’s wonderful news! I suppose I should start making some phone calls, then.”

 

Lance bumped hips with Shay, who he was helping cut out cookies with, to send her an encouraging smile.

 

****

 

“Hi! Welcome to Altea Bakery, how can I—oh, hey you’re Olia right?” Lance asked, brightening when he recognized the smaller woman.

 

She smiled and took the hand Lance offered to shake. “Yes, I am. I’m a little early, but Coran is expecting me?”

 

“He is! Come on back, I’ll show you to his office.” Lance held open the swinging door for her, then led the way to Coran’s small office beside the kitchen. He knocked on the door frame since the door way always open unless he was on a call, and smiled when Coran looked up. “Olia’s here.”

 

“Ah,” Coran looked at his papers, then back up at Lance and Olia, “terribly sorry. I’m almost done here. Would you mind waiting out front for just a bit? I’ll come get you when I’m ready.”

 

Olia nodded. “Sure, no problem.”

 

They walked back out to the front. “Would you like something to eat?” Lance offered. When Olia shook her head, he said, “okay. Well, um…have a seat I guess.” She smiled and sat down close to the kitchen door, and Lance got back to restocking the front cases.

 

Shortly after, the bell rang again, and Lance looked up to see Pidge walking in. He waved, then moved to get their pastries right away. Their eyes immediately zeroed in on Olia, and they grinned.   
  
“I knew it! Hey ‘Lia!” they said, plopping down next to her.

 

Olia looked up and grinned. “Hey, Pidgey! Long time no see!” They fist-bumped. “What are you doing here?”

 

“Oh! Shiro’s tattoo shop is two doors down. We come in for pastries pretty much every day.”

 

“How about literally every day?” Lance teased as he walked over and set the bag of pastries down in front of them.

 

“True. Hey! Did you hear? Shiro and Allura are getting married,” Pidge announced with pride.

 

Olia nodded. “Yeah, Matt texted me the other day. Finally, right?”

 

“Yeah. Did you know she’s Coran’s niece?” Pidge asked.

 

“Really? Huh, small world.”

 

Just then, Coran came through the swinging door. “Thanks for waiting, Miss Cane. Oh, hello Pidge!”

 

“Hey Coran.” Pidge grabbed their bag, stood up, and fist-bumped with Olia one more time. “Good luck, see you guys later.” Then they left.

 

Olia got up and followed Coran back through the kitchen.

 

——

 

“So?” Lance asked after Olia left.

 

“I hired her on the spot,” Coran replied, “I’d have hired her when she first came in if I’d had a position for her.”

 

“Good for us she still wants to work here.”

 

“Yes. She’s working in the bakery at the Destin Publix. It’s good, she says, but limiting.”

 

****

 

**Lancey Lance**

You guys busy tonight?

 

**Keef**

Nah. A couple of appointments, but it’s not Spring Break season yet so we don’t expect any walk-ins

 

**Lancey Lance**

Thank god 

 

I’m coming to hang since I’m off tomorrow

 

**Keef**

Sweet

 

——

 

Pidge looked up when Lance came in. “Coran hire her?”

 

“Yup.”

 

“Awesome.”

 

“Hire who?” Shiro asked, not looking up from the his client’s leg.

 

Lance propped his hip on the edge of the desk. “Olia, Matt’s friend. She came in for an interview today. Coran hired her on the spot.”

 

“Good! Keith’s in the kitchen.”

 

“Thanks.” Lance high-fived Pidge, then made his way to the kitchen, where Keith was seated at the table, phone in one hand, protein bar in the other. “Hey.”

 

Keith looked up and smiled. “Hey. Good day?”

 

Lance sat down across from Keith, stretching out his legs to tangle their feet together. “Yeah. Pretty good. Coran hired Olia today, she’ll be ready to start shortly after Hunk and Shay close on Taste.”

 

“That’s great.” 

 

Lance waited quietly while Keith finished his protein bar, and was about to scoot around to sit next to him when Pidge’s voice carried in from the hall.

 

“You’re not making out, are you?”

 

“We could be,” Keith answered.

 

“Ugh. No, thanks. Your appointment is here.”

 

“Thanks, Pidge.”

 

Lance stuck out his lip in a pout, and Keith laughed at him quietly. He got up and held out his hand. “C’mere.” When Lance took his hand, he pulled him up and held him close, then kissed him thoroughly.

 

“Mmm,” Lance hummed, “chocolate.” He giggled when Keith rolled his eyes fondly, and followed him back out to the front. They split ways, Lance going to the couch and Keith to meet with his client.

 

It’d been a while since Lance had the opportunity to do this. He’d missed it, it felt good.

 

——

 

Keith followed Lance home after he helped close the shop. As soon as the door was closed and locked behind them, Lance slid his arms around Keith’s waist from behind to nuzzle his nose into the crook of his neck.

 

“Mmm,” Keith hummed, “I figured you’d be exhausted.”

 

“Me too,” Lance mumbled into Keith’s shirt, “but tonight kinda feels like when we first started hanging out and—well now there’s so much more we get to do together.” He emphasized his point by pressing his half-hard cock against Keith’s ass.

 

Keith moaned, “shit,” and pressed back. “Hmm…you wanna fuck me tonight?”

 

Lance breathed in hard through his nose. “Uh…if you want me to, I’m down for that.”

 

“Only if you want to, I don’t wanna pressure you.”

 

“No, that’s not it, I—I just—assume that it’s gonna happen the other way around. It’s not that I don’t want to, just that I don’t think about it. If I didn’t want to, I’d say no.” Lance rocked against Keith again, letting him feel how interested he was. “So. What do _you_ want?”

 

Another moan followed a gasp, and Keith shivered. “Fuck. Yeah, I want you to fuck me.”

 

Lance groaned, holding Keith tight. “Yeah.”

 

“Like this.”

 

“Like—what?” Lance stilled and raised his head to look at the back of Keith’s head.

 

Keith turned his head to meet Lance’s gaze. He spread his legs a little, arched his back, and let his head rest on Lance’s shoulder. “Like this, what do you think?”

 

“Uh…” Words failed him, but the rapidly hardening cock pressed against Keith’s ass told him exactly what he thought of that.

 

Keith rubbed his ass against Lance’s cock, and they moaned together. “I’ll take that as a yes?”

 

“Yes…” Lance hissed, rutting up against Keith with renewed vigor, “fuck…fuck yes.”

 

“C’mon.” Keith pulled out of Lance’s embrace, shot him a coy look over his shoulder, and…sauntered? Yes, _sauntered_ into their room, stripping off his shirt along the way.

 

Lance was rooted to the spot. What just happened? He knew Keith was sexy. His voice, that little messy ponytail he wore more often just for _him_ , his body (duh)…but this? This was deliberately sexy, and Lance was glad for the tight pressure of his jeans, or he probably would have come all over himself before even getting started. “Fuck,” he muttered, and flushed when Keith’s chuckle drifted from the bedroom.

 

“That’s the idea, isn’t it? Come in here and fuck me,” he called.

 

Lance shook himself, kicked off his shoes, and rushed to join Keith. He pulled off his shirt, then tried to take his pants off while still walking, hopping on one foot to pull the other out of his pants leg, then leaning against the door jamb to pull the other leg off as well. He looked around for Keith, pants falling from nerveless fingers when he saw him against the far wall.

 

He was propping himself up with one hand, bent slightly forward, and the other was already thrusting two fingers into his ass. He looked over his shoulder at Lance, moaned, and added a third finger.

 

“Fuck, fuck, fuck.” Lance fumbled with his socks and underwear, scooped up the bottle of lube, and crowded close behind Keith. “Can—can I stretch you?”

 

Keith whined when he pulled his fingers out, but said, “yes, fuck, yes.” He dropped his lubed hand and hung his head, but wiggled his hips impatiently.

 

Lance slicked his fingers, then had an idea. “Show me,” he said.

 

“Uh,” Keith reached back with that same hand, gripped his ass cheek, and pulled it to the side, revealing his stretched hole.

 

Lance groaned and slid two fingers in slowly, shivering when Keith clamped down tight. “Oh, fuck.” He thrust gently a few times, then added a third. Keith moaned, and Lance joined him, then curved his fingers in search of—

 

“Oh! Fuck, yes! There! A-ah…” Keith let go of his ass when his other arm buckled, bringing it up to help hold him against the wall with his forearms. “Fuck! Lance. I’m ready. C’mon, c’mon, c’mon…”

 

“Yes,” Lance hissed. He slowly pulled his finger out, dragging one more time over Keith’s prostate. That earned him a shout, and he moaned as Keith’s ass clamped tight around his fingers. He slicked his cock, then stopped himself. “Shit. I didn’t think…am I—uh, do you still want me to use a condom?”

 

There was a pause, then Keith huffed a quiet laugh. “Haah, I didn’t either. No, let me feel you.”

 

With a shuddering breath, Lance gripped his cock and pressed it against Keith’s hole. He pressed in, groaning at the new sensation, and watched himself slide in easily. Soon his balls were pressed up to Keith’s ass, and he draped his torso over Keith’s back. “Oh my god…fuck, Keith.” First he gripped Keith’s hips, then slid his hands up his sides and over his arms to cage Keith in, propping himself against the wall as well.

 

He started with short, slow strokes, building up to a deeper, faster rhythm as he got his footing. He buried his face in the crook of Keith’s neck and focused on finding the right spot. It took a bit longer in this position, but Lance managed to get the right angle when he pushed up to balance on the balls of his feet.

 

Keith cried out, body tensing on and off with each brush of Lance’s cock head over his prostate. Then Lance started talking, and it nearly did Keith in.

“Fuck, baby,” Lance groaned, “how are you so sexy? God—ah fuck—your voice alone makes me fall apart. But then—mmh!—then you…you _look_ at me like that and I…fuck I don’t deserve you. I almost came in my pants at the little show you did earlier, how do you _do_ that?”

 

“Oh, fuck!” Keith yelled, back arching. His body grew tense, muscles trembling. “Oh god, Lance…fuck, Lance I’m so close.”

 

Suddenly feeling bold, Lance licked a stripe up the side of Keith’s neck, aimed to hit his prostate with each thrust, and whispered in his ear, “I can feel you, so tight around my cock, ah!” He squeezed his eyes shut when Keith tightened more with a deep groan. “Oh, fuck baby. Is my talking getting you off? Fuck, yeah, I can feel it. You’re shaking. Is this enough? Can you come if I talk you through it?”

 

Keith began to shake his head, paused, and said, “I—I don’t know.”

 

“Can we try it?”

 

“Fuck, yes!”

 

Lance moaned at his enthusiastic reply. “Fuck. Yeah, okay.” He fought to keep his rhythm, as well as the right angle. With a huff of annoyance he removed his hands from the wall to grab Keith’s hips again, arching his back a little more to make the angle easier to maintain. “Is that okay?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Oh, fuck, yes it is, isn’t it? You’re gripping me so tight—uh! Shit!—I can barely pull out, you’re sucking me in so hard.” Lance groaned when Keith whined, fist thumping against the wall in desperation. “Fuck yeah, like that. God, is this how it feels for you? No wonder you love it so much. Ah! So tight, and hot, and _wet_ , oh shit!” He whined, rhythm faltering when Keith shivered hard.

 

“Fuck…Lance, oh god…it’s…shit I gotta—“ Keith reached down with his lubed hand, “I can’t…sorry, I—“

 

“Shh…it’s okay,” Lance soothed, “do it, Keith, come on. Wanna feel it when you come.”

 

Keith whined again, and convulsed when he gripped his cock. He barely pumped once and he was coming hard.

 

Lance followed him over, fingertips pressing bruises into Keith’s hips as he thrust deep and came. His knees buckled, and Keith followed him down until they were kneeling on the floor, panting. They rested there, Keith propped up against the wall and Lance leaning on him, until their breathing evened out.

 

Lance looked up. “Oh, shit, the wall!” He looked over Keith’s shoulder with wide eyes, but didn’t see anything there. “What—?”

 

Keith chuckled. “I had enough brain cells to point down,” he muttered, nodding down to the soiled towel they were kneeling over. Lance hadn’t seen it at all.

 

Lance huffed a quiet laugh, burying his face in Keith’s neck while his body shook. The jostling moved them enough that his cock slipped out, and they both gasped at the sensation. “Oh, shit, that feels—“

 

“Overwhelmingly good?” Keith supplied. Lance nodded against his skin, then yawned.

 

“Oh man. We’re gonna feel this tomorrow, aren’t we?”

 

“We are now that we’re kneeling on the floor. Ugh, sorry, I gotta move while I still can.”

 

“Yeah, yeah.” Lance moved back until he could sit down, which gave Keith enough room to do the same, though he made sure to turn around and sit on the towel instead of the carpet. He leaned back against the wall with a grimace and a wiggle. Lance frowned, concerned. “You okay?”

 

“Yeah, I just sat in my own jizz,” Keith answered with a laugh.

 

“Oh my god.” Lance burst out laughing, leaning sideways to rest against the bed.

 

Keith slowly got up on his knees again to use a clean corner of towel, wiping off what he could, then stood and tossed the towel into the new towel-only designated hamper. “I’m gonna shower, you wanna join?”

 

“Ugh, if I don’t I’ll be pissed at myself later,” Lance mumbled and held his hands out with grabby motions. Keith rolled his eyes, but grabbed his hands and helped him up. They shared a kiss, then headed to the bathroom.

 

****

 

Sunday.

 

Lance’s favorite day, at least this week. Why? Well, when you and your boyfriend got the same day off, it’s bound to be a great day.

 

He woke up to an empty bed, though, and that was not-so-great. He fumbled blearily, as if searching the sheets would bring Keith back to bed, then checked the time on his phone.

 

_12:30_

_Sunday, March 12_

 

Ugh. He groaned, rolled over to bury his face in his pillow, then rolled again to get up. He put on a pair of flannel pants and opened the bedroom door. Suddenly, he was assaulted with the smell of coffee, biscuits, and bacon. He closed his eyes, inhaled deep, and exhaled with a moan.

 

“Morning sleepy head,” Keith said from the stove.

 

“Morning,” Lance mumbled back, then forced himself to go to the bathroom like he’d originally planned. He rushed through his morning routine, unwilling to waste even one minute that could be spent watching Keith cook.

 

Lance usually did most of the cooking. Even though Keith was pretty good at it himself, his schedule didn’t allow many opportunities to cook for anyone other than himself. So Keith making breakfast for him was a rare treat that Lance intended to fully appreciate.

 

So Lance finished quickly and went to the kitchen, carefully sliding up behind Keith to wrap his arms around him, similar to how he did the night before. “Mmm…smells good.”

 

“Me? Or breakfast?” Keith teased.

 

Lance took the hint and breathed deep at Keith’s neck. _Oh, shit. Keith had used his soaps again_. Lance pretended to be miffed, but he and Keith both knew he secretly loved it when Keith used his fancy bath products. It made Lance feel like Keith was _his._ Well, he was, wasn’t he? “Damn, Keith…” he muttered, “I don’t want breakfast to go to waste but…” he pressed close and breathed deep again with a groan, “shit, we’re going back to bed after we eat, and you’re fucking me into the mattress, yeah?”

 

“Oh, good. You looked at my calendar,” Keith joked, “now go sit, I’m almost done.”

 

“Yes, sir,” Lance said automatically while pulling away. When Keith sucked in a sharp breath, he paused to look back. Keith’s shoulders were suddenly tense, his hips shifting like he does when he’s trying to adjust his hard cock. Lance opened his mouth to ask if he was okay when Keith shook his head and turned off the stove. What was that about? He figured it was from his proposition a moment ago and went to sit at the bar.

 

Breakfast was simple. Canned biscuits, bacon, and coffee, of course with butter and jelly. Lance had thrown out the Nutella the day before Keith moved in, and hadn’t even missed it. Keith loaded his biscuits with both butter and jelly, while Lance also put the bacon on his to make a sandwich.

 

After breakfast, Lance did the dishes. Fair’s fair, right? Keith groaned in frustration and Lance laughed, the tent in his own pants giving away his anticipation. Some time while he was washing up, Keith had disappeared into their room, presumably to prep the space. Lance shivered.

 

He was right. Yesterdays’ clothes, that had been strewn over the floor in their haste for hot wall sex, were put away, the salt lamp was glowing, their bed was made with a towel to protect the blanket, the lube was close at hand, and Keith was sitting on his side of the bed in just his boxers. He was fiddling with his phone, and then soft music began to play.

 

Lance closed the door and Keith looked up with a smile. He set his phone on the night stand and got up to crowd Lance against the door. He pressed up close, his nose nuzzling under Lance’s jaw as he pressed their bodies together with a sigh. Lance whimpered, buried his fingers in Keith’s hair, and tugged him up for a heated kiss.

 

They made out against the door for a few short seconds before Keith ripped himself away with a groan. “Fuck.” He gripped his own cock hard with one hand, the other lacing fingers with Lance’s to guide him to the bed. He shucked off his boxers, then reached for Lance’s pants. At his nod, Keith hooked his fingers in the waist band and tugged out. He frowned, fingers reaching for something that apparently wasn’t there. He leaned forward to look down at what he was doing and groaned. “God, Lance,” he moaned, tugging the pants down far enough to let them fall to the floor, leaving Lance naked. “No underwear? Are you trying to kill me?”

 

Lance chuckled when Keith buried his head in the crook of his neck with another moan. “No, I was just too lazy to put them on.”

 

“ _Fuck._ ”

 

“That’s the goal, right?” Lance laughed when Keith’s shoulders shook with his own chuckle, “so, how do you want me?”

 

Keith took a breath, straightened up, and stepped back. “This one is your idea. How do _you_ want you?”

 

With a smile, Lance crawled onto the bed to lay down on his back. “Wanna see your face while you pound me hard.”

 

“Oh my god,” Keith muttered, “where did that mouth come from?”

 

“What?”

 

“Seriously, babe,” he crawled up to settle between Lance’s legs and snagged the lube, “fuck, you almost _did_ talk an orgasm out of me last night. Have you been holding out on me or what?”

 

Lance blushed, squirming as Keith’s fingers trailed up his thighs to encourage his legs wider. “Uh, no? I didn’t…um, it just kinda came to me and I rolled with it. I’m glad you liked it.”

 

“Liked is definitely an understatement,” Keith muttered while he slicked his fingers and brought them down to rub over Lance’s hole, earning him a gasp and a moan. He smirked when Lance’s cock jumped. “I think I’m still turned on from last night, that’s how much I _liked_ it. And then you said…” he trailed off, cheeks flushing faster and deeper than Lance had seen before.

 

“What? What did I say?” Lance wracked his brain, but he’d said a lot of things last night. Keith mumbled something, and Lance shook his head. He reached up to cup Keith’s cheeks, drawing his attention to his worried gaze. “Did I say something you didn’t like? Just tell me so I won’t—“

 

“No, no, you said something I liked very, _very much_ ,” Keith murmured. He removed his fingers from Lance’s ass to be fully in the moment. “This morning, you—you said ‘yes, sir’ and, um…that’s pretty much a guaranteed instant boner for me.”

 

Lance’s brows were nearly up to his hair line at that revelation. “Oh?” he said, brain catching up to what that could mean. “So…you like being in control?”

 

“Uh…yeah?”

 

“You’d like telling me what to do, how to move, and…and um—if or when I can come?”

 

“Fuck, Lance, how do you know this?”

 

“I’ve run across some blogs and tumblrs in my gay sex research that talked about BDSM and kinks.”

 

“Oh my god…” Keith slumped down to bury his head in Lance’s neck again, pulling a laugh from Lance as he wrapped his arms around Keith’s shoulders.

 

“Am I right?” he asked quietly, hands rubbing soothingly over Keith’s back.

 

“…yeah…” Keith mumbled into his neck, took a deep breath, and pushed up to look Lance in the eye. “We don’t have to do any of that if you don’t like it. What we have…what we’re already doing, is so good and I’m not missing that, okay?”

 

Lance melted under Keith’s gaze and smiled. “I’m kinda turned on by it, and I’m willing to try it out for you.” His smile grew bigger when Keith bit his lip to hide his own excited grin. “Just…um, I do know I’m not into Daddy Kink,” he added with a shiver.

 

Keith dropped his forehead onto Lance’s chest to laugh, deep and loud. “Please, never say that again.”

 

“I can do that,” Lance bit his lip, steeled himself, and added, “Sir.”

  
Keith shivered and groaned. “Fuck,” he whispered, then raised his head to lock eyes with Lance again, “you want to do this now?”

 

“Why not? We’ve got all day.”

 

“True. Okay—okay, yeah, um…so, here’s the thing,” Keith sat up and pulled Lance up to sit in front of him, “we should have a serious talk about all of this, of what your limits are, and mine. I know,” he said when Lance opened his mouth, “I know you’re not sure what those limits are yet, and sometimes the best way is to try it out. So, we’ll try some things. I’m not going to check in with you as much consent-wise. Are you familiar with the traffic light system?”

 

Lance nodded, eyes growing wide. “Yeah.”

 

“That’s probably the easiest way to ease into this. Are you okay with that?” Keith relaxed a bit when Lance nodded again. “Good. Speak up if you need me to slow down or stop, and I will.” He cupped Lance’s cheeks with both hands and leaned close to whisper against his lips, “are you ready?” Lance nodded again, and Keith tisked. “Use your words, baby,” he ordered.

 

“Yes.”

 

“Hmm?”

 

“Yes…sir?”

 

“Good boy,” Keith breathed and kissed him gently. He smiled when Lance whimpered, and pulled back. “Color?”

 

“Uh…is this where I say green?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Okay. Green.”

 

Keith smiled and gently pushed him back. “Lay down baby, I’m going to take good care of you.”

 

“Oh, shit,” Lance muttered as he lay back. 

 

Keith took his hands and pressed them into the pillow on either side of his head. “Can I trust you to keep you hands there?”

 

Lance moaned and nodded, “yes, sir.”

 

Keith smiled, pressed a quick kiss to his lips, and sat back again. He slicked up his fingers again, pushed Lance’s thighs apart, and went back to what he’d been doing earlier — gently massaging the tight muscle until it relaxed enough to let him in. He pushed in slowly, finger curving to being playing with his prostate right away.

 

“Oh, fuck!” Lance cried out, back arching, hard cock drooling precum onto his stomach.

 

Keith kept up the torment, alternating between barely-there brushes with hard presses and everything in between, slipping in a second finger when he felt Lance was ready, and then a third.

 

Lance keened, legs shaking, and gasped out, “fuck, fuck, I’m gonna…Keith I’m too close! Please, I—“

 

Immediately Keith stopped touching Lance’s prostate, instead rubbing just beside it, and Lance groaned at the sudden loss of stimulation. Keith smiled and pulled his fingers out, slicked his cock, and pressed in while Lance was still reeling. He groaned when Lance fluttered around him, reaching out to lace their fingers together where Lance had kept them by his head. “Good boy, you kept your hands where I told you to,” Keith said with a groan.

 

Lance gasped through the first press in, shivering at the stretch, then moaned at Keith’s praise. “Fuck, Keith!”

 

Keith stilled, face hovering over Lance’s, and grinned. “You like that? Being called a good boy?”

 

“Uh!” Lance shivered again, tightening around Keith’s cock, his own jumping up off his stomach and bumping Keith’s.

 

“Do you? Tell me.”

 

“Yes—yes, sir!”

 

“Good boy.” Keith thrust up to rub Lance’s prostate, then began a quick, hard pace to give Lance what he wanted.

 

Lance cried out, legs drawing back and up to cage around Keith’s hips. He gripped Keith’s hands tight, suddenly unable to form words at all, moans and cries spilling from his lips until his body drew tight again, cock hard and aching, drooling a puddle onto his stomach, thighs quivering, and, “oh! Oh, please…fuck Keith—Sir! Please please I’m going to come please…”

 

Keith groaned when Lance suddenly clamped tight around him. “Yeah, yeah baby, you can come—ah!”

 

Immediately Lance seized, mouth open in a silent cry as he came, then moaned long and loud as Keith fucked him through it and kept going just long enough to make him convulse as if he were orgasming again, voicing little punched-out ‘ah-ah’s with each thrust.

 

“Oh, fuck, yeah there you go,” Keith praised, “fuck such a good boy, ah—Lance!” He came with a full-body shudder, forcing himself to keep thrusting until there was nothing left, then stilled. He buried his face into the crook of Lance’s neck, took a few deep breaths, then raised up again to check on him. “You okay?”

 

“Green,” Lance responded immediately, then spluttered, “uh…I mean—yeah. Yeah I’m good.”

 

Keith chuckled, “good. Did you like that?”

 

“Yeah,” Lance breathed, squeezing Keith’s fingers between his own, “god, I didn’t know I had a praise kink.”

 

“You sure do.” Keith grinned, then leaned forward to press a chaste kiss to his lips. It quickly turned deep and filthy, and Keith groaned. He hadn’t even fully softened yet and here he was getting hard again. “Fuck,” he groaned when he broke away, “oh, shit.”

 

“O—oh!” Lance arched his back at the sensation, Keith’s cock sliding easier now. He clenched around him and wrapped his legs around Keith’s waist when he started to pull away. “No, it’s okay, please…”

 

“You sure?” Keith asked, already panting.

 

Lance nodded, huffed, and said, “yes, please…please Sir?”

  
“Oh, fuck, yea.” Keith hummed in thought as he thrust shallowly, teasing them both. “You remember when I said I want to see how many times you can come in one day?”

 

“Oh, shit.”

 

“Color?”

 

“Fuck, yes, green, ah!”

 

Keith started the same brutal pace as before, nailing Lance’s prostate on nearly every thrust. “One down, come whenever you’re ready, okay?”

 

“Y—yes, uh! Yes, sir!”

 

“Good boy.”

 

——

 

Lance came five times, and spent the rest of the day dozing on the couch wrapped in Keith’s arms, Netflix playing on the TV and cups of hot tea warming them.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You all knew he'd be guilty, right? I can't hurt my baby like that by letting Lotor get away with what he did. And the rest? I threw a bunch of stuff in there, sorry, but they popped in my head and you know how shit happens in life like one on top of the other? Good shit and bad shit. So this was the good shit pile episode, if that's the appropriate wording lol.
> 
> I was so excited to get this chapter up and out immediately. I couldn't switch to my other one with this court date looming over my head, I had to get it out! I hope you liked it.
> 
> As always! Thank you for your love and support - comments, kudos, hits, and likes and reblogs on my [tumblr](http://krysblack.tumblr.com). Come see what I'm fangirling over (mostly klance lately but I'm a multi shipper at heart, plus a lot of drarry and a little yoi and captive prince) and talk to me there too!


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hunk and Shay take over the restaurant, Pidge opens up a bit (and there's a surprise there too!), Lance and Keith have some more fun (because duh...what else is this but a big excuse to explore lots and lots of sex with these dorks), Shiro and Allura announce their wedding date!
> 
> Phew!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh...okay. So Pidge talks some about their gender identity and sexuality. I did some research to hopefully not make a full ass of myself, but if I portrayed any of what I picture their experience as problematic, or wrong, or misinformed, PLEASE TELL ME. Please correct me! 
> 
> Also, I did a re-read through and founds tons of places I gendered them as her again while writing, so point those out to me too please. Gosh I lose my mind sometimes typing so fast I forget proper pronoun usage :P
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

Olia started working the following Friday, which gave her three full days with Hunk to shadow him and learn how things are done at Altea. With so many people at the Bakery, Coran gave Shay those days off so she could run whatever errands they needed so their transition to running Taste would go smoothly. They would be closing Monday, and were getting ready to take over on Tuesday.

 

Rumor among the shops along the strip was that Mr. Z was looking to leave the state and bring Lotor with him if he could get approval from a judge. Neither of them had been seen either at Taste, or around town since their conviction. Acxa, who was actually the assistant manager when Lotor decided to skip out on work, was running the place in Mr. Z’s stead, and had already been in close contact with both Hunk and Shay to make sure the transition went well on their end as well.

 

Lance pretty much took over Shay’s position as soon as their loan was approved. Shay happily stepped back, taking Lance’s job in the meantime.

 

Olia took to working the kitchen like she’d just been waiting for the opportunity, which, honestly she pretty much had. By Friday afternoon Hunk declared her a pro, groveled appropriately, and spent Saturday hanging out just in case she had any questions while letting her do her thing.

 

“She’s a good fit?” Coran asked him after the morning rush on Saturday.

 

“She’s a better fit than I was,” Hunk admitted, “she really knows her stuff. I do this because I always loved it and taught myself growing up. Olia loves it and went to school to learn from real pros.”

 

Coran smiled, a little sadly. “Nevertheless, this place won’t be the same without you and Shay. You two helped me open this place.”

 

“What? Really?” Lance asked, not ashamed in the least that he’d been eavesdropping while working on a tray of just cooled cookies, “this calls for a proper send-off, you know.”

 

Hunk groaned, embarrassed. Coran laughed and said, “you’re absolutely right, my boy! Tomorrow, after closing. Hunk, don’t come in until then, and bring Shay with you.”

 

Hunk spluttered, but Coran insisted and he eventually relented, blushing and shuffling off to find something to clean.

 

——

 

Sunday, Coran manned the front of the shop while he tasked Lance and Olia to make Hunk and Shay’s favorite treats for that afternoon’s festivities.

 

“You told Keith?” he asked, for the fourth time.

 

Lance smiled and patted Coran’s back. “Yes, I told Keith. They’ll be here,” he paused when Coran didn’t move away like the other times, and his hand moved up to grip Coran’s shoulder, “hey, boss you okay?”

 

Coran took a deep breath, but smiled at Lance through his misty eyes. “I’ll be fine,” he rasped, “just a bit…emotional, nothing major.”

 

“Of course it’s major,” Lance retorted, setting down the piping bag he was holding to give Coran his full attention, “this is huge, for all of us, but especially for you. Yeah, they’re not going far, but they still won’t be here. With us. It’s okay to be sad about that.” He gave Coran’s shoulder a squeeze.

 

Coran sniffed, but nodded. He cleared his throat and asked, “could I ask you for a hug?”

 

Lance smiled and held his arms open. Coran hugged him tight, shoulders shaking a little while Lance rocked them side to side a little. After nearly a full minute, Coran pulled back with his eyes downcast and rimmed red.

 

He choked on a laugh and began brushing the flour from Lance’s apron off his own clothes. “Oh, dear. I’m a mess!”

 

“Isn’t that why we wear aprons?” Lance teased, “where’s yours?”

 

Coran paused. “In my office, I think. I should go get it.” He turned to move in that direction, but Lance’s hand on his elbow made him pause.

 

 

“I’ll go man the front while you look for it, yeah?” he suggested, “in case, you know, it takes a few minutes, or five, to find it.”

 

Coran’s grateful smile made Lance’s chest feel tight. He nodded, and went into his office, closing the door behind him.

 

Lance tidied his space a little, just so nothing would get ruined or roll away, and pushed through the swinging doors just as Keith walked in. “Hey hot stuff!” Lance called, earning a blush from Keith, “aww! That still gets you?”

 

“Apparently,” Keith muttered. He met Lance at the space between the cases for a quick kiss, then moved away to let him get their pastries. “Shiro’s gonna get coffee for everyone, is Olia here?”

 

Lance ‘mm-hmm’ed in reply, handing Keith the bag when he finished. He ducked into the back after. “Hey, Olia, what’s your preferred way to mainline caffeine?”

 

“My…what?” she asked, pausing her kneading to stare at Lance with a raised brow.

 

“Shiro’s getting everyone coffees from next door, what’s your favorite caffeinated beverage?”

 

“Oh, cappuccino.”

 

“Any sugar or sweeteners?”

 

Olia actually looked offended. “Why ruin something already perfect?”

 

“True,” Lance agreed, “that’s how I feel about a good cortadito. Thanks!”

 

Olia hummed and focused on her kneading again while Lance went back to the front. Keith was right where he’d left him with his own raised brow. “What’s a cortadito?”

 

Lance grinned. “It’s like a latte, but with sugar and evaporated milk. It’s my all time favorite.”

 

“I guess it’s hard to find a place that makes it around here?” Keith asked.

 

Lance shrugged. “I haven’t really thought about it much. I’d planned to get a stove top espresso maker but never got around to it. Besides, Mamá makes the best hands down.”

 

Keith nodded, a calculating look sparking in his eyes. “Hmm…ok. See you later.” He leaned close, and smiled when Lance did the same to give him another quick kiss.

 

“Later.”

 

Keith left with a wave, and Lance busied himself with wiping down the counters and glass until Coran came back out, his face a little splotchy but looking much better, and wearing his apron.

 

“Thank you, Lance,” he said, tone a bit subdued, though his smile was full and genuine.

 

“Yeah, no problem,” Lance replied, then went back to the kitchen when Coran shooed him off. He settled himself in front of the cookie trays again, looked them over for a minute to remind himself where he was, and picked up the frosting he was using last.

 

——

 

After closing, tables were pushed together and the treats Lance and Olia had made just for this were spread out with little paper plates like a buffet on a couple of the taller bar style tables to the side.

 

Pidge ambled in first, coffee in hand while Allura held the door open for Shiro and Keith, who were carrying the rest of the coffees between them. Lance frowned when his usual drink wasn’t there, and was about to ask when Hunk and Shay wandered in through the kitchen.

 

Allura raised a cheer, and everyone else joined in much to Shay’s delight and Hunk’s embarrassment. He blushed bright red and covered his face, but Shay simply took his hands and led him into the midst of his friends.

 

They were encouraged to go through and pick their treats first, everyone else lining up behind them, then settled around the pushed together tables, passing around drink cups until everyone had their preferred coffee.

 

When Keith handed Lance a much smaller cup than usual, he frowned. “What’s this?”

 

Keith’s mouth quirked into a sly smile. “Special just for you. Try it.”

 

Lance noticed Shiro and Pidge watching, Shiro in anticipation and Pidge in glee. He sniffed the small opening on the cup’s lid, but could only smell a vague creamy sweetness with coffee. With a shrug he brought the cup to his lips and took a small sip.

 

He paused, eyes growing wide, and looked down at the cup, then at Keith. “Are you kidding me?”

 

Keith looked worried. “Um?”

 

“I’ve lived here almost a whole year, worked _here_ for eight months, and the _coffee shop next door_ makes cortadito!? Oh my god I’m an idiot,” he moaned before taking another, much larger sip of coffee and closing his eyes in bliss.

 

“So…” Keith hedged, “you like it?”

 

Lance opened his eyes to level Keith with a serious look. “I’m basing this decision solely on your skill for finding someone that makes this exact coffee. Please marry me.”

 

The whole table burst into laughter. Shiro leaned over to give Keith a high-five, who returned the gesture even while his face turned tomato red. Lance set down his cup to pull Keith into a hug.

 

“I love it,” he said quietly, “thank you.”

 

Keith sighed, but hugged Lance back. “You’re ridiculous.”

 

“Yeah.” He pulled away to sit up, glad that the moment passed quickly and everyone else was busy enjoying the treats and being together. “Why does this feel like a goodbye party?”

 

“Because it is,” Keith said. Lance frowned at him, and he explained, “they’re leaving the bakery. Even though they’ll be town at Taste, we won’t see them as much unless we go eat there, which will probably happen a lot more now that they’ll be running the place.”

 

“Hey, yea!” he turned to Hunk, “you guys take over Tuesday, right?”

 

“Yeah,” said Hunk, “it’s closed today and tomorrow until the paperwork goes through. We’re going to open just for the staff tomorrow night so we can meet everyone once we’re officially the owners.”

 

“I’d like to make a reservation for…” Lance looked around, counting people, “7, Tuesday at…5:30? 6? What do you guys think?”

 

“6 is good,” Shiro replied after a quick glance at his phone’s calendar. Pidge nodded.

 

Lance turned back to Hunk. “6. Tuesday.”

 

Hunk broke into a huge grin. “I think we can fit you in.”

 

A short while later things began to wind down, so Coran doled out chores to everyone, the Voltron crew helped put away everything from the little party while everyone else went through the usual closing clean for the Bakery. Once finished, everyone said their goodbyes, and Lance went with Keith back to the tattoo shop to hang and help out until they closed.

 

****

 

Tuesday evening, Coran, Olia, and Lance headed to Voltron Tattoo shortly before their reservation time so they could all walk over together. Shiro closed the shop for the night since there were no appointments anyway, so he locked up with Allura while everyone else went ahead.

 

They arrived at Taste right on time, Narti greeting them with a big smile and a wave. She grabbed menus and led them to their table, setting down the menus before gesturing for them to sit. She waved toward Lance to get his attention, and he stepped away from the table to give it to her.

 

She signed a few things, to which Lance grinned and nodded, signing back. Narti’ssmile turned a little sad, and she patted Lance’s shoulder. She signed something else, he replied, and she walked away with a little wave.

 

“What’d she say?” Pidge asked when Lance sat down.

 

“First, that we enjoy our meal, then to let me know that everyone here really likes Hunk and Shay, and are excited to have good people running this place for once,” Lance began, pausing when Coran announced his vehement agreement to that statement. There were a few other nods and murmurs also agreeing, then he continued, “so I agreed, obviously, and said I was glad what happened with Lotor turned out something good. She apologized that it happened in the first place, and I thanked her.”

 

Keith stretched his arm across the back of Lance’s chair, his fingers gently stroking his opposite arm, “I hate that it happened, but this really is the best good thing that could have come from it.”

 

Just then, Acxa walked up, “hey, guys. Here to celebrate?”

 

“We are! We hear you had yours last night?” Coran replied.

 

Acxa actually smiled at that, “yeah, we did. We’ve always liked you guys, and so far, even before they officially owned the place, Hunk and Shay have been probably the best bosses I’ve worked for.”

 

“Of course they are,” Shiro said.

 

“So what’s your poison tonight? You can order anything, the new liquor license kicked in today,” Acxa offered.

 

Most everyone ordered drinks, except Shiro and Keith. When Lance gave Keith a surprised look, he said, “I’ll drive us home tonight if you want to get something.” So Lance ordered a glass of wine.

 

Acxa nodded, “I’ll be back to take your dinner order when I bring your drinks,” and walked off.

 

There was mixed conversation while they waited, until Shay walked into view.

 

“Shay!” Lance cried, having been the first to see her. She grinned big and waved as she walked over.

 

“You made it!” she exclaimed.

 

“You’re busier than I expected,” Coran said.

 

“Yeah, you can thank Allura for that,” Shay accused with a smile and a wink, “she made sure every local news source announced our official ownership after we closed yesterday. The phone rang off the hook all during lunch for reservations this week.”

 

“You’re welcome,” Allura sang, “the people needed to know that Taste changed hands, and if it was you, I had to make sure you’d get the business you deserve.”

 

“And to show our appreciation, we’re covering your whole dinner tonight. Order whatever you like, okay?” Shay announced. When she was met with shaking heads, waving hands, and exclaimed ‘no we couldn’t’s, ‘that’s not necessary’s, and ‘but we want to support you!’s, she put one hand on her hip and held out her other finger threateningly. “Any other time, we will gladly let you pay your own way, but tonight we want to thank you, so stop that and let us buy your dinner.”

 

Shiro spoke up first, “thank you, Shay,” which broke the damn of stubbornness and let everyone else relax to the special treatment, murmuring their own thanks as well.

 

Shay smiled again and nodded. “Good. Oh! Here comes Acxa with your drinks, and I’ve got to get back. Hunk will be out later to say hello too.” She waved and walked away, giving Acxa room to set up the tray she carried out and dole out drinks.

 

Once the drinks were passed out, she pulled out her pad and pen. “Are you ready to order? Or did Shay distract you all?” she teased.

 

“I’m ready,” Shiro said, and most everyone else nodded, so Acxa started taking orders. By the time she got around the table everyone had picked out what they wanted and ordered. She repeated everything back, then tucked the pad away.

 

“I’ll go put that in now, and I’ll come check on you in a bit,” she said before walking off to do just that.

 

“Is it just me? Or does Acxa seem more chill now?” Pidge asked.

 

“Yeah, she does,” Keith replied, “I didn’t realize how tense she always was.”

 

Pidge nodded, looking off in the direction Acxa went, mouth twisted in a half smile.

 

“Wait,” Keith said, “wait, am I seeing this right? Pidge, do you have a _crush_?”

  
“Hmm?” Pidge turned back around, eyes widening in surprise when every eye was trained on them; some in shock, some in confusion, and Keith’s in accusation. “What?”

 

“Are you…actually attracted to someone?” Keith asked.

 

“Hey, rude,” Pidge shot back. “Just because I’m Non Binary doesn’t mean I’m Aro and/or Ace.”

 

Keith raised a brow, “I never assumed you were, I’m just surprised you’re attracted to someone.”

 

Pidge bristled, but paused when Coran put a hand on their shoulder.

 

“Pidge,” he said placatingly, “how long have we all known you?”

 

“Long time,” they mumbled, “some longer than others.” Shiro nudged their side and they shot him a fake glare.

 

“And how many times have you expressed romantic interest in someone in all the time we’ve known you?” Coran asked.

 

Pidge opened their mouth, closed it, opened it again, sighed, and admitted, “never.”

 

“Exactly,” Keith cut in, “doesn’t matter what you identify as, this is the first time in the…I don’t even want to count how many years we’ve known each other, that you’re _actually_ interested in someone.”

 

“Ugh, fine, sorry for getting mad,” they mumbled.

 

“Well?”

 

“Well what?”

 

“Do you have a crush on Acxa?”

 

Pidge glared at Keith, who grinned back, and huffed, “…yes…”

 

To their surprise, the whole table’s reaction was less gasps of shock and accusations of disbelief, but smiles and excited coos.

 

“So, can I ask,” Lance started, “what you identify as? If you know, of course…”

 

“Yeah, I know,” Pidge said, “I’m Demi. Both Demisexual and Demiromantic.”

 

“Is this your first crush?” Shiro asked.

 

Pidge blushed, “uh…yeah.”

 

Lance pulled in a deep breath, but before he could say anything else Keith’s hand covered his mouth. Lance met Keith’s serious gaze and deflated.

 

“Let’s not announce this to the whole restaurant, okay?” Keith murmured.

 

“Yeah, right. Sorry,” Lance said.

 

“So do you plan to do anything about this crush?” Olia asked.

 

“Before, no,” Pidge answered, “but now…I dunno. Maybe. If nothing else, she at least seems cool with Queer people.”

 

“That’s a plus,” Allura agreed.

 

It wasn’t long after that Acxa and Ezor returned, both bearing trays loaded with their food. There was a little confusion as the food was passed out, but soon everyone had their right dish.

 

To Lance’s astonishment, and apparently also pretty much everyone else at the table, Pidge had charm hidden under their bristly, monotone exterior, and they pulled it out to smile and thank Acxa when she finished handing out their dishes. Acxa, to her credit, took it in stride, even through her own surprise, and smiled back with a warmth that didn’t seem to grace her face often, if Lance could guess.

 

When Acxa walked off, Allura leaned over to give Pidge a high-five, and they blushed while they returned the gesture.

 

After that, thoughts of Pidge and their crush were pushed aside in order to focus on the food and its quality.

 

Half way through their meals, Hunk walked up with a grin and a wave. “How is everything, guys?”

 

“As delicious as always,” Coran answered, “though better now that it’s from you!” There was a round of nods and agreements, while Hunk waved his hands in front of himself.

 

“No, guys, our chefs are all the same, it has nothing to do with me!” he protested.

 

“Except everyone’s much happier now that we’ve got great bosses,” Acxa said from the other side of the table.

 

“And it shows!” Coran cried.

 

“It does,” Acxa agreed.

Pidge seemed to have a hard time focusing on Hunk when Acxa was beside them. They kept shooting her blushing glances and smiles. Acxa definitely noticed, Lance saw, though she chose not to respond to anything. Lance worried if it was lack of interest, or just professionalism.

 

“You guys doing okay? Anyone need a refill?” Acxa asked, nodding when those who wanted more raised hands or glasses, and disappeared to take care of it.

 

“So Acxa’s taking good care of you. Good, good. Guys— I have no idea what I’m doing, but these guys here are so helpful, especially Acxa,” Hunk admitted.

 

“You’re doing great,” Lance said, “you’ll get the hang of it soon, this is just day one, like when you first started baking.”

 

Hunk pursed his lips, thinking, then smiled. “Yeah, okay…yeah, we got this.”

 

“You got this,” Shiro said.

 

“Okay. I have to get back. It was good to see you, enjoy the rest of your meal!” Hunk waved back as they called their goodbyes and walked back toward the kitchen.

 

Acxa returned with a tray of fresh drinks, passed them out, and left.

 

Pidge gasped.

 

“What’s up?” Shiro asked. He looked at what they were holding, and broke out in a huge grin. “Wow. She’s good.”

 

“What?” Keith asked, craning his neck to see.

 

When Pidge didn’t move, Shiro gently took the cocktail napkin and held it up. “It’s Acxa’s number.”

 

Pidge squawked and snatched it back, “be careful!” They quickly put the number in their phone, then folded the napkin and tucked it away.

 

“Congrats, Pidge,” Lance said, “your first number!”

 

“Shut up,” they muttered through a pleased smile.

 

They finished their meals soon after, but stayed far longer talking and laughing, enjoying the opportunity to spend time all together without schedules demanding their time. Most of the servers, and even some kitchen staff came around to meet or talk to them, some to thank Coran for ‘letting Hunk and Shay go’, others to simply meet the friends of their new bosses.

 

At some point, Acxa pulled up a chair between Pidge and Shiro. She didn’t talk much. Actually, she seemed to be playing on her phone or texting someone. Lance noticed and watched her for a moment. She looked at her phone, smiled, and typed a reply. Then…oh! Then Pidge blushed and typed something on their phone.

 

Lance nudged Keith, drawing his attention. He nodded toward Pidge and Acxa, and Keith followed his gaze. He watched for a bit, then looked back at Lance, “what?”

 

Lance leaned over to whisper in his ear, “they’re texting each other.”

 

“They’re—“ Keith looked back, eyebrows raising as he saw what Lance had seen, then smiled and whispered back, “why is that the cutest thing I’ve ever seen?”

 

“Because it is, I think my heart might burst from my chest I’ve never seen Pidge so smiley.”

 

“Me either.”

 

“Shut up, you haven’t?”

 

“Nope.” Keith popped the ‘p’, then used the opportunity of Lance being so close to steal a kiss.

 

Just then, Hunk walked up looking exhausted but happy. “I hate to break up your party, but it’s closing time and I love you guys enough to tell you to leave,” he announced, and was answered with groans of disappointment all around.

 

“Aw, Hunk!” Lance whined, “what are you, an adult now? You’re no fun!”

 

“Been an adult for a while, Lance. You should try it sometime,” Hunk shot back with a grin.

 

Everyone pitched in to help buss the table, and Hunk and Acxa took what they could off to the kitchen. Acxa returned with a tray to take the rest. When she left and everyone was getting ready to leave, Shiro pulled out his wallet and laid some cash on the table.

 

“Shiro, Hunk’s paying for our dinner,” Allura reminded him.

 

“This isn’t for dinner, it’s Acxa’s tip,” Shiro replied.

 

There was a round of ‘oh!’s and ‘oh yeah’s and ‘duh’s while everyone else pulled out money and added it to Shiro’s contribution, who tidied the bills into a neat stack in the middle of the table.

 

As they were leaving, Hunk and Shay met them by the door, where they shared a round of hugs and goodbyes. Lance signed a little with Narti, and even Keith tried a few signs much to her delight. Before they could leave, Acxa walked up, the cash clutched in one hand.

 

“I can’t accept this,” she said, eyes roving over the group to see who the guilty party was.

 

“What is it?” Hunk asked, bristling.

 

Acxa shook her head and held out the money, “it’s too much, I can’t take all of this.”

 

“Of course you can,” Coran replied, “it’s freely given, our appreciation for you.”

 

“But—“ Acxa lowered her hand and took a deep breath, “it’s practically what you would have paid for your dinner, I can’t take that much.”

 

“So instead of paying it to Hunk, we’re giving it to you. It would have been spent anyway,” said Shiro.

 

Acxa took another breath, this one a bit shaky. Her shoulders slumped a bit and she lowered her eyes to where the money was now held tight in both of her hands. “Thank you,” she said quietly, then turned and headed back toward the kitchen.

 

Hunk heaved a sigh and crossed his arms.

 

“Acxa’s been having a hard time financially lately,” Shay said quietly, “but she won’t accept help from any of us, or anyone at all really. Mr. Z screwed her over quite a few times.”

 

“I’m going to promote her in a couple of weeks, when things settle down and I’ve got a good handle on the finances of this place,” Hunk added, “it’ll give her a raise, and a salary.”

 

“She deserves it,” said Shay.

 

They said their goodbyes then, and trekked back along the back road to their rides.

 

——

 

Back in their apartment, Lance began stripping the minute the door was shut and locked. Keith paused to watch for a moment, then huffed and said, “it seems we’re on the same page, then.”

 

“Not yet, you gotta get naked for that,” Lance replied, tossing a sock in Keith’s direction.

 

Keith laughed, but followed Lance’s example, shedding clothes as he followed him to the bedroom. Once there, Lance was spreading a towel over their bed, lube already standing by on the nightstand. He leaned on the door jamb to watch, and smiled back when Lance looked up at him. “What do you wanna do tonight?” he asked.

 

Lance bit his lip and sat down on the edge of the bed. His cock was already half hard in anticipation, and Keith’s wasn’t far behind. Keith walked up to him, standing between his knees to cup his cheeks and lean down for a kiss.

 

“What do you wanna do?” he asked again.

 

Lance took a deep breath, settling himself. “I was gonna say make love to me, but suddenly I want to blow you,” he said, eyeing the cock in front of him as it steadily hardened, raising up to point right at him.

 

Keith moaned, hips twitching forward. “We can do both,” he rasped.

 

Lance nodded, keeping his eyes on Keith’s cock, lips parted as it came closer. He slid his palms up Keith’s thighs to settle on his ass and guided him forward. Lance leaned in, tongue darting out for a taste before he swallowed Keith’s cock down as far as he could.

 

Keith tensed, not wanting to thrust forward and choke Lance, and groaned. His thighs trembled in his effort to keep still.

 

Lance took a deep breath, tongue sliding along Keith’s cock as he pulled back to swirl it around the head. Then he squeezed Keith’s ass, pulling him in as he sank back down, going a little farther with each pass until his cock was touching the back of his throat.

 

Sucking in a deep breath, Keith gripped Lance’s shoulders to steady himself. “Oh, shit.” He curled forward a little each time Lance took him in more, until he was nearly bent double over him, panting. It didn’t take long for Keith to tense up and grip Lance’s shoulders tight, pushing him away just before his nose brushed the curls of his happy trail.

 

Lance sat back with a triumphant grin, breathing heavy, and pulled away to lay down in the middle of the bed. “Do you need a minute?” he asked, voice scratchy.

 

Keith nodded, one hand immediately gripping the base of his cock when Lance pulled away. He turned and sat down, then changed his mind and crawled up to lay down next to Lance. “Is your throat okay?”

 

“Mm-hmm.” Lance turned onto his side to face Keith. He reached out, fingertips tracing over his cheek, down his neck, then his arm until he found his hand and laced their fingers together.

 

Keith stretched forward, his free hand coming up to slide under Lance’s neck. He pulled him in, kissing his bottom lip first, then each corner of his mouth, his chin, his nose, his cheeks. When Lance started to giggle, Keith kissed him fully on the mouth, lips parting and tongue sliding out.

 

Lance’s giggles turned into a breathy moan as he opened his mouth to let Keith in, tongue sliding along his in a kiss that quickly turned hot and desperate. Keith brought Lance’s hand up to his own shoulder before letting go of it to reach back for the lube, which he set between them. He then guided Lance’s thigh up to settle on his hip and let go of his neck to have both hands free.

 

He slicked his fingers, trailing them down the inside of Lance’s thigh until they pressed between the cheeks of his ass to stroke over his hole. With his other hand he teased Lance’s cock and balls, fingertips lightly brushing over the sensitive skin.

 

Lance shivered, moaning into Keith’s mouth as his finger slipped in, sliding all the way up to the knuckle before pulling out and gently working in a second finger. Lance whimpered then, hips stuttering in his attempts to both hump forward and down simultaneously.

 

Keith worked to maintain their kiss when Lance got too distracted with what was going on down below. When Lance’s cock was hard and leaking, he left it alone to focus on his ass. He spent some minutes teasing his prostate, loving the squeaks and whimpers it drew from Lance.

 

When he felt Lance was stretched enough, he slowly removed his fingers and pushed him over onto his back, following to settle between the legs that fell open in invitation. Keith slicked his cock, working his flagging erection back up while Lance watched. When he was ready, Keith shuffled closer, propping one hand over Lance’s shoulder while the other guided his cock to his hole. Lance pulled his knees back, giving Keith easier access as he pushed in, both moaning when the head popped through and he slid in all the way in one slow, easy press.

 

One fully inside, Keith settled over Lance by slipping his arms under his shoulders to prop on his elbows. Lance slid his arms around Keith’s neck while his legs wrapped around his waist to lock ankles over his back.

 

Keith immediately began to move. His thrusts were slow and he didn’t pull out far, but they were hard and deep. Each one punched a gasp or moan from Lance, or a deep groan whenever he managed to hit his prostate. At one particularly deep thrust, Lance tossed his head back with a cry. Keith took the opportunity to kiss and bite at his neck, moving lower to leave red and purple marks under his collar bones while Lance trembled under him.

 

“F-fuck…ah!—Keith, oh— _oh!_ ” Lance babbled, tossing his head from side to side as he tangled his fingers in Keith’s hair. He didn’t take long to start riding the edge with how intense this was between them, Keith’s deep thrusts winding him up and their slick bellies rubbing against his cock bringing him closer faster.

 

Keith suddenly braced himself and ramped up his thrusts, muttering, “yes, yes…oh, fuck. Lance, let me see you come. Show me babe, show me how good I make you feel.” He groaned when Lance tightened around him, squeezing hard when he came almost immediately at Keith’s command, striping white over both of them. He pulled Keith’s orgasm right out of him with a surprised cry and a few hard, overstimulating thrusts.

 

They collapsed together, snuggling close and for once not caring how messy they were as they drifted off right there, Keith still inside Lance with their limbs tangled together.

 

****

 

With Pidge’s track record of zero romantic interest in others, it was quite the surprise when they mooned and blushed and giggled like the best of them once they found someone to moon and blush and giggle over.

 

The following two weeks showed everyone a side of Pidge that only Matt wasn’t surprised to see.

 

“Guys, contrary to popular belief, Pidge used to be the girliest little girl ever. Like, pink dresses and bows in their hair and sparkly shoes. Mom fought with them every morning to take off their princess dress so they could wear our school uniform,” he said, loud and teasing when Lance was hanging at the shop on his next day off.

 

“I remember that,” Shiro added, “and they hated when you called them Pidge back then too.”

 

“Oh my god, please stop now,” Pidge moaned from the couch, rolling over to bury their face in the cushion. They quickly jerked back, muttering, “ow, fuck,” while they removed their glasses, then resumed the face-buried-in-the-cushion position.

 

Matt laughed while Shiro promised they’d stop. “I make no such promises,” Matt countered.

 

“So when did you…um, realize? You were Non Binary?” Lance asked.

 

Pidge sat up, leveling Lance with a calculating stare when their glasses were back on her face. They pursed their lips, then nodded. Apparently, Lance just passed some kind of test. Matt suddenly looked super uncomfortable and pulled Shiro to the back, asking him to go on an errand with him. Lance looked a little horrified, but Pidge waved it off. “He’s cool, but I’m gonna talk about girl puberty and that squicks him out a bit.

 

“I got super dysphoric once I hit puberty and all the stuff that comes with it. I suddenly hated being a girl, with boobs and periods and hips. It was awful,” they shivered at the memory, “I struggled to figure out who I was. I thought maybe I was a guy, so for a while I dressed super masculine, cut my hair off, wore a super tight sports bra because my parents didn’t want to invest in a binder if that wasn’t what I really wanted to do.”

 

“Pidge’s mom and dad were super chill and supportive. I don’t know anyone else’s parents who were as cool about it as Sam and Colleen,” Keith added.

 

“Yeah,” Pidge agreed, “they gave me the space to think, and research, and try all kinds of things before I found the right info that fit me. They bought me my first binder and found a doctor who would listen and get me on testosterone so I could stop having periods. It’s hard sometimes to dress in a way that’s not too masculine, but I tend to lean in that direction anyway so most of the time I don’t mind if people misgender me as a dude.”

 

Lance sat, wide eyed, and nodded. “Yeah…” he shook himself, “that was kinda more than what I wanted to know, but I’m glad you felt comfortable enough to tell me.”

 

“Sorry, I don’t usually open up this much,” said Pidge.

 

Keith leaned forward with a smirk, “that would be your mushy feelings for Acxa bleeding into the rest of your life.”

 

Pidge glared at Keith, “didn’t I say that to you when you started floating around the shop after you and Lance declared your undying love for each other?”

 

“Yup.”

 

“Touché.”

 

“Aw, Keith, you got mushy over me too?” Lance asked, fluttering his eyelashes at Keith.

 

“Shut up,” Keith grumbled, but it effectively sidelined that thread of the conversation.

 

“So,” Lance turned back to Pidge, “when’s your first date?”

 

Pidge’s cheeks colored. “I, um…we’re actually trying to work that out now. I’m hoping sometime this week—uh—“ Their phone buzzed, and they picked it up to see who it was. “Oh shit, speak of the devil.” They fiddled with their phone, frowned, then smiled, and typed a reply. “Well this week is out, but Acxa’s actually off on my birthday. She wants to take me to dinner, but I’m not going to let her pay.”

 

Keith grinned while Lance flopped down next to Pidge to fling an arm around their shoulders. “That’s great! I, um…” he paused, catching Pidge’s eye as his face turned serious, “I really hope this works out for you. Acxa seems really nice, and I see how much you like her. I know you’re salty—ow!” Lance winced at the sharp elbow in his side— “but you’re still one of my best friends and it’s crazy cool to see you happy like this.”

 

“Goddammit, Lance,” Pidge sighed, taking off their glasses to rub at their face, attempting to wipe away tears without him noticing, “fuck you, I’m never this emotional. It’s all your fault.”

 

“I’m pretty sure that’s Acxa’s fault. Let’s lay the blame where it belongs,” Lance teased, giving Pidge’s shoulders a squeeze before jumping up to avoid their elbow again. “Okay, okay, back to our regularly scheduled program of me and Keith being super sappy and you being grossed out.”

 

“ _Thank you_ ,” Pidge grumbled. They shoved off the couch and moved toward the back, “I have an appointment in fifteen, don’t bother me.”

 

“Got it,” Keith said, and smiled a bit when Pidge waved over their shoulder. He pulled out his phone, Lance reading over his shoulder as he texted Shiro to let him and Matt know it was safe to come back. “Just to warn you,” he began after Lance stole a kiss, “they don’t open up like that often, if at all. Don’t expect it to happen again, like, ever.”

 

“Damn, is that like Pidge telling you they love you?” Lance asked.

 

“Pretty much.”

 

“I’m honored.”

 

“You should be. C’mon, help me prep their space.”

 

Lance smirked and muttered, “yes, _sir_ ,” relishing in how Keith tensed and eyed him over his shoulder.

 

“You’re a menace,” Keith muttered, stilling when Lance leaned closer to murmur in his ear.

 

“You gonna put me in my place tonight?”

 

Keith gripped Lance’s hips with enough force to bruise him through his jeans and groaned under his breath. “I thought you were my good boy,” he whispered.

 

“I want to be,” Lance cheeked, winked, and slipped from Keith’s grasp to get the spray and paper towels to wipe down the seat.

 

Keith stood and watched, then looked down at the bulge in his jeans and muttered, “go away.”

 

“Come back later,” Lance teased, snickering when Keith’s hips jerked and he groaned again before walking away and locking himself in the bathroom.

 

“You know I heard almost all of that?” Pidge called from the kitchen, “you guys are awful.”

 

“Lance!” Keith growled from the bathroom, but all Lance could do was laugh.

 

When Shiro and Matt came back a few minutes later, things were almost back to normal, though they couldn’t figure out why Keith was a blushing mess while Pidge was back to their usual grumpiness, and Lance couldn’t stop giggling.

 

“Do I even want to know?” Shiro asked Keith.

 

Pidge cut him off just as he opened his mouth to reply, “no. No, you absolutely do _not_ want to know. I’m scarred for life.”

 

“That’s helpful, Pidgeon,” Matt teased, “really curbs that curiosity.”

 

“Too bad.”

 

——

 

The moment their apartment door was closed and locked, Keith straightened and leveled Lance with a cool glare. “Baby,” he said, tone soft yet commanding. Lance immediately recognized it from their first time playing this game.

 

He paused, wondering how much of a brat he wanted to be, and decided not to push too hard tonight. “Yes, sir?” he asked, turning to meet Keith’s stern gaze, a smirk hovering around his lips.

 

“Come here.”

 

They still hadn’t talked about this yet, and Lance could tell Keith was holding back a little. He approached him casually, walking up to stand in front of him with his hands in his pockets.

 

Keith looked Lance over, taking in his posture before meeting his gaze, his own softening as he asked, “color?”

 

“Green,” Lance grinned, cheeky, the gesture widening when Keith slipped back into his role.

 

With a nod, he gestured to the bedroom. “Go. Strip and get the room ready, I’ll be there in a minute.”

 

Lance nearly bounced up onto the balls of his feet. “Yes, sir.” He hurried to do as Keith asked, eager to get the fun started. He left the bedroom door open and tidied up a bit before removing his clothes and putting them away as well. Then he busied himself with setting out the lube and putting a clean towel on the bed. When he finished, he could hear Keith in the bathroom, and wondered how he was supposed to wait.

 

Should he stand by the bed? or maybe sit on its edge? Did Keith want him kneeling? On the bed or the floor? He made his decision as the bathroom door opened, and scrambled onto the bed. He kneeled on the towel, sitting back on his heels. His body faced the door while his head was bowed down, and he held one wrist with the other hand at the small of his back. He really hoped he got the position right.

 

Keith walked into the room, but stopped just inside the door. Lance itched to see his reaction, but kept his gaze down. When he heard the muffled footsteps come closer, he peeked up to see Keith coming up to the bed and stopping right in front of him.

 

“Have you been doing more research baby?” Keith asked quietly.

 

Lance nodded. “Yes, sir.”

 

“I’m going to adjust your position a little, but this was a good first try.”

 

Lance preened, grinning while Keith’s hands slid down his upper arms. He pulled a little, moving his forearms up closer to the center of his back, turning his wrists so he could grip his own forearms and hold them there. The action pushed his chest out a bit, and Lance kept his gaze down.

 

“Good boy,” Keith murmured, pressing a kiss to the crown of Lance’s head while his hands drifted down to his thighs. “Spread them wider for me, show me your cock.”

 

Lance did as asked, shifting on his knees until his thighs were spread to Keith’s satisfaction, and he blushed. He really was showing off his cock in this position. Said cock, which had been steadily showing interest since Keith told him to come in here, rapidly filled the rest of the way at the implication that Keith was looking, and enjoying the view.

 

“Yes, just like that,” said Keith, “so beautiful, just for me. Look at your cock, you’re loving this aren’t you?”

 

“Yes, sir,” Lance said, voice quiet in embarrassment.

 

“That’s my good boy,” Keith praised, chuckling when Lance’s cock twitched up hard enough to touch his own stomach, leaving a smear of precum as it bobbed back down. “Look at me.”

 

Lance swallowed and looked up. He shouldn’t have been surprised to see Keith wasn’t naked, he did see his legs were still in his pants, but he _was_ surprised to see that was all he was wearing. His chest was bare, his hair was pulled back, and his pants were open, cock hanging out, bobbing lewd and hard in Lance’s direction. He reached down, pumping himself twice with a sigh.

 

“Normally, I would spank you for the stunt you pulled at the shop today,” Keith began, shuffling the last step closer so his knees were touching the bed, “but seeing as we haven’t discussed that yet, I’m thinking I’ll edge you ‘till you cry, does that sound like a reasonable punishment?”

 

Lance blanked out a bit at the thought of Keith spanking him, a shiver wracking his body in something that was not fear or trepidation…was it anticipation? Then the rest of Keith’s words registered and he bend forward with a groan, cock jumping up again as he whimpered.

 

“Use your words, baby. You can use a color if that’s easier for you.”

 

“G-green, sir, oh god…”

 

“I’m trusting you to be completely honest with me,” Keith admonished, mistaking his actions for nervousness. His face smoothed out, eyes warming and tone changing back to normal. “I won’t get mad or upset if you say no to something, you know that right?”

 

Lance took a shaky breath and nodded, “yeah. Yeah, I know.”

 

Keith nodded back, took a breath, and slid back into his role again, “then I’ll ask you again, for me, color?”

 

“Green, sir.”

 

“Good boy.”

 

Lance moaned. Keith gently cupped his chin, tilting his face up to meet his gaze. “You did so well last time, coming five times for me. What do you say we edge you five times, whether or not you cry? I think having a goal might be better for today.”

 

Lance could see Keith’s love for him even through his role, and his worry and care nearly made Lance cry right then. “Yes, sir,” he choked, giving Keith a watery smile.

  
“Oh, baby,” Keith kissed Lance sweetly on the lips, then his forehead, cheeks, nose, “I love you.”

 

“I love you, sir.”

 

Keith shivered, licking his lips. He noticed Lance watching intently and raised a brow. “Open your mouth.” When Lance complied, Keith surged forward, licking into his waiting mouth and devouring him with aggressive kisses. Lance complied, letting Keith dominate his mouth, kissing back just enough to let Keith know he liked it.

 

Suddenly, a warm, slick hand wrapped around his cock, squeezing just tight enough and pulling him off in fast, long strokes. It didn’t take long for Lance’s thighs to tremble and his back to arch as he tried to warn Keith without breaking their kiss.

 

Fortunately, Keith knew just how far to push Lance without letting him tip over, and just before it was too late, he let go to squeeze the base of Lance’s cock and stop the process. Lance groaned loud into Keith’s mouth, his whole body shaking with the effort to keep from dropping his hands and jerking himself off.

 

“That was one. Say ‘one’.” Keith ordered.

 

“One…sir,” Lance tacked on after a pause.

 

“Good boy.” Keith kissed him again, then let go of his cock and stood up straight. “Go ahead and drop your arms, I don’t want you getting a cramp.”

 

Lance did as he was told with a sigh of relief, shaking out his hands to get the blood flowing again. He held them hovering over the bed and looked at Keith questioningly.

 

“If you have a question, ask it,” said Keith.

 

“Sir, where can I put my hands?”

 

Keith smiled, pride shining in his eyes. “Normally, if they’re not behind your back in this position you can rest them on your thighs. But right now I want you to move up and roll over. Get on your knees, and lay your chest on the bed.”

 

Lance scrambled to comply, rolling over and planting his knees on the towel, his chest on the bed. He laid his arms by his head, which was turned to see what Keith would do next. Predictably, he crawled up on the bed to kneel just behind Lance, palms gripping his ass cheeks and spreading them to look his fill. When Keith groaned, Lance shivered, his hole pulsing in anticipation.

 

“Fuck. Next time I have you presented like this, I’m going to lick you open, fuck you full of my cum, then eat it out of you,” Keith murmured.

 

“O—oh!” Lance cried out, hand jerking down to grip the base of his own cock hard. His hips canted forward, body searching for more friction while he denied himself satisfaction again.

 

“What—“ Keith bit out, then stopped himself when he saw what Lance was actually doing. His next words were laced with amusement, “I take it that idea is good for you, too?”

 

“Y-yes, sir…”

 

“Well, I guess that counts as another edge. How many was that?”

 

“Two…two, sir.”

 

“Good boy. Don’t let go, ok? I’m going to stretch you, and I don’t want you to come on accident.”

 

“Yes, sir,” Lance whined, spreading his knees a little more when a cool finger traced over his hole. “O-oh! Ah…oh, shit…” After two near orgasms, he was apparently far more sensitive than before. Had he not kept a firm hold on himself, he was sure he would have come just like Keith said. Once the finger was warm, it slid in, back out, and was joined by a second. The second push in burned a bit, but Lance was grateful. It helped take off the edge and he relaxed his grip just a little bit.

 

“There you go, open up for me,” Keith murmured, tone a bit teasing, “you know what I’m gong to do, don’t you?”

 

Lance nodded. “A-ah, yesss…sssir…”

 

“Keep your grip tight, I want this orgasm to be only from your prostate,” Keith warned.

 

“My—wha—ah! _Oh!_ Oh f-f-fffuck!” Lance yelled, immeditaly clamping down even harder around the base of his cock. Keith wasn’t messing around. He pressed in on Lance’s prostate hard and rubbed in deep, tight circles, then let off and caressed around the nerve bundle, far enough to not overwhelm but still close enough to keep up with the heightened sensation. As soon as Lance thought he’d let up, he started the process over, pressing in and rubbing hard, pulling louder and louder noises from Lance.

 

To Lance, it felt like he was on his knees forever. His hand was starting to cramp from holding to tightly to his cock. Speaking of his cock, it was rock hard, nearly purple, and drooling enough precum to leave a small puddle on the towel. Keith was relentless, only pausing to occasionally remind Lance that even with good sound proofing, they did have neighbors that could potentially hear them.

 

“You’ve got to keep it down, Baby,” Keith admonished one last time, “unless you want your neighbors to have as good a time as you?”

 

Lance bit into the comforter and screamed, body drawing taught and ass tightening so hard around Keith’s fingers he swore at the sensation. He didn’t let up though, rubbing Lance’s prostate until he began to convulse from overstimulation and moved his fingers to rub around the abused gland in soothing strokes.

 

“There you go, Baby. That one counts, too. Can you tell me how many now?” Keith asked after Lance’s breathing slowed and he relaxed enough to let Keith’s fingers slip out.

 

“Th—ah…three, sir,” Lance stammered, letting go of his cock, voice muffled by the comforter.

 

Keith hummed, gently stroking Lance’s back and ass. “That’s right. You’re so good for me, I knew you could do it, Baby, my Good Boy.”

 

Lance whined, shifting on his knees uncomfortably.

 

Keith stopped his ministrations, “what do you need, Baby?”

 

“My knees hurt, sir,” Lance replied apologetically.

 

Keith immediately helped him roll over and avoid the puddle of precum. He maneuvered Lance’s limbs, setting his heels to the mattress and tilting his knees out, then crossing his wrists over his head. “How’s this? Comfortable?”

 

“Yes, sir. But…um…yellow?” Lance asked.

  
Keith immediately moved to his side. “Are you okay? Is it too much?”

 

“No. Well, a little? I just…can we take a little break? Like, two minutes or something,” Lance said, voice quiet and apologetic.

 

“Of course. Do you want to sit up?” Keith asked, but Lance shook his head, “can I get you some water? Or a snack?”

 

“I just want to calm down a bit,” Lance answered, “lay with me?”

 

“Okay. Whatever you need,” Keith murmured, settling down beside Lance and snuggling close.

 

“Thanks. And sorry. For stopping you.”

 

Keith raised his head to catch Lance’s gaze, his own warm and sincere. “Don’t ever apologize for asking me to stop, or take a break. If you don’t feel good, then there’s no point in playing. Same goes for me.” He pressed a kiss to Lance’s cheek, who turned at the last second to catch his lips. Keith chuckled and snuggled close again. “I’m glad you spoke up. That’s what the colors are for, so you can tell me how you feel. Just let me know when you’re ready to go again.”

 

“Okay,” Lance whispered, turning his head to nuzzle Keith’s hair. They laid together for more than two minutes while Lance breathed slow and deep. When he spoke again, his voice felt unused, but less shaky than before. “I was starting to float a bit. I don’t know if that’s good or not but it scared me a little. I want to be present with you, not lost in a haze even if it felt good.”

 

Keith nodded, his hair tickling Lance’s cheek. “That can happen, and it’s actually a pretty big sign of trust. You were going into subspace.” He sighed, “I shouldn’t have started this scene with you tonight, and for that I’m sorry. We really need to talk about this before we do it again, okay?”

 

“Okay,” Lance said quietly, “sorry.”

 

“No. _I’m_ sorry. I know better, and I let it happen anyway. I guess I didn’t think this would be intense enough to pull you under.” Keith slowly sat up and leaned over Lance, catching his gaze and smiling at him. “We can finish the scene, and I’ll keep a better eye on you, or we can do something else, it’s up to you.”

 

Lance watched Keith, taking in his sincere expression and open posture, and smiled back. “I want to finish the scene, if that’s okay. We were at three edges, right?”

 

“Right,” Keith’s smile turned into a grin. He leaned forward, pressing a quick kiss to Lance’s lips with a whispered, “I love you.”

 

“I love you,” Lance murmured in reply.

 

“Ready?”

 

“Yes, sir.”

 

Keith closed his eyes with a shiver. When he opened them again, he smirked. “Aw, Baby, looks like we need to work you back up.”

 

Lance hitched a moan, soft cock already filling back up. Keith’s still-slick fist helped things along nicely, especially since he’d shuffled close and was pumping his own cock with his other hand. “There we go,” he murmured when Lance was rock hard and dripping again, though not quite as deep in color just yet, “let’s get you ready for my cock, hm?”

 

“Yes, please, sir,” Lance whined, hips tilting in invitation.

 

Keith reached up for a pillow, and Lance lifted his hips at his expectant glance so he could slide the pillow under him. Then he re-slicked his fingers, sliding two back in and groaning when he was met with almost no resistance. “Oh, Baby. You’re still open for me. I could just slide my cock right in, couldn’t I?”

 

Lance sucked in a sharp breath, then moaned when Keith’s fingers brushed his prostate again. If Lance wasn’t mistaken, it felt a little swollen even to himself, and he shivered at the thought of how Keith’s cock would feel pushing against it. “Yes, sir. Please, sir! I’m ready, please?”

 

“Not yet,” Keith admonished, “one more edge, then I’ll fill you up.” He pulled his fingers out, then slowly worked in three, groaning with Lance on the entry. When he was in as far as he could go, he used his other hand to bring Lance’s cock up. Lance breath hitched, and Keith caught his gaze as he lowered his mouth and sucked hard on the head.

 

“Oh! Ah—fuck! Ohmigod…fuck, fuck, fuck fuck fuckfuckfuck!” Lance felt himself already tensing up, the familiar sensation of impending orgasm, made that much more acute by the two edges and third prostate orgasm, had his thighs shaking and toes curling into the covers. “Oh, shit! Keith—sir! Sir I’m gonna—“ he groaned when Keith immediately pulled away, stopping his orgasm once more with a tight grip around his base. “Fuuuuuuuck…please, please let me come, please sir! I’ve been good, please!”

 

“How many edges was that?” Keith asked, smirking.

 

“Fuh-fuck…four, sir,” Lance sobbed, and tears pricked at the corners of his eyes, but none fell.

 

“What does that mean?” Keith led

 

“One more, sir.”

 

“That’s my Good Boy. Ready for my cock?”

 

Lance whined, wiggling his hips in what he hoped was an enticing manner, but was probably more impatient than alluring. Keith’s chuckle told him the latter was definitely true.

 

“Come on, use your words.”

 

“Yes sir, please, I’m ready for your cock, please fill me up, please, please sih— _SIR_!” Lance cried out when Keith’s slicked and dripping cock breeched him, filling him up in one steady thrust all the way to the hilt. He didn’t even angle up for Lance’s prostate, but from the earlier heavy massaging it was extra sensitive and Lance felt tingles shoot up his spine as if Keith had aimed for it. He cried out, shivering, and Keith paused.

 

“Color?”

 

“Green, fuck, please don’t stop, green, green sir, green, ah!” Lance was turning into a babbling mess and Keith’s short hard thrusts weren’t helping. Again, he hadn’t started aiming for Lance’s prostate yet, but it felt like he was. Lance threw his head back with a loud moan, his hands above his head lacing their fingers together for something to hold on to.

 

“Damn, Baby. What am I doing right? I’m not even aiming for anything yet…” Keith murmured.

 

Lance heard him and gasped, “my—ah! my prostate…it’s—uh, fuck—s-s-sensitive-ah-ah!”

 

“Really?” Keith grinned, “I’ll have to see just how sensitive in a minute.” He renewed his efforts, lengthening his thrusts to go harder, deeper. He hooked Lance’s knees over his elbows, bending him forward for better leverage. “Touch yourself,” he ordered, “touch yourself, then stop yourself for your last edge.”

 

Lance sobbed, but let go of his hands to trail one down his body. He was more than capable of coming untouched, as they both knew, so the added stimulation had him only stroking twice before he stopped himself with a tight grip and a cry of despair. “Please, sir! Please please, I need to come, please!”

 

“Not yet,” Keith answered, slowing his thrusts to little shallow ruts just to keep himself hard, “how many was that?”

 

“F-fuh-five…sir.” Lance moaned, and a single tear slipped down his cheek.

 

“Damn, and I made you cry. You good, Baby?”

 

“Yes, green, sir.”

 

“Good Boy. That’s right, so good for me,” Keith leaned forward, folding Lance almost in half to kiss him, slow and filthy while he circled his hips to keep his hard cock moving inside him. “Are you ready to come?”

 

“Please! Please, sir! Please let me come!” Lance cried, more tears slipping free as he shivered as if overstimulated.

 

“Yes, Baby, just a minute,” Keith soothed with another kiss. “I’m going to start fucking you again, and you can come whenever you like, as many times as you like, but I’m not going to stop until I come. Color?”

 

“Green,” Lance answered immediately.

  
Keith smiled, kissed him once more, and let go of his cock right as he started a fast and rough pace. Lance keened, back arching, and three thrusts in came all over them both. He came so hard he got cum in his own hair, not that either of them noticed yet. His keens soon turned into cries, body shaking now with true overstimulation as Keith kept going, little grunts sounding above him.

 

Soon the overstimulation faded as his cock rose again, much to Keith’s delight. His face, scrunched in concentration, broke into a pleased grin. “There-hah- there you go, Ba—by. Fuck, yeah, you gonna—ah, come again? Just for me?”

 

“Yes, sir!” Lance cried, shaking already, “I’m—fuck, can I—oh! come sir?”

 

“Come,” Keith growled, and Lance came just like that. His body convulsed, legs shaking, hole spasming, and cock dribbling little drops of leftover cum while Lance moaned long and loud. Keith followed right after, Lance’s ass clamping hard around him twice like that pulling him over the edge with a cry.

 

As their breathing evened out, Keith slowly pulled out and settled next to Lance. He reached over for something, and Lance shivered when a moist towel swept over his skin to clean up the mess.

 

“Wow, babe. You got some in your hair,” Keith murmured in surprise. He refolded the towel to get a clean surface to wipe away the cum from his hair and face. Lance chuckled, then sighed when the towel made it’s way down between his legs.

 

“How are you feeling?” Keith asked once they were both wiped off.

 

“A little shaky and overwhelmed, but really good too,” Lance answered, “can we cuddle now?”

 

“Let’s get this towel out from under us, and I want you to drink some water.” Keith did just that, moving away only long enough to toss the towels in the laundry and move the two water bottles he brought to the close end of the night stand. He settled onto the bed, sitting up against the head board, and helped Lance move up to sit between his legs, resting against his chest. He cracked one water bottle open, handed it to Lance, and took the other for himself.

 

They drank quietly for a little bit, Lance downing half his bottle while Keith chugged all of his. Then he set them back on the night stand and wrapped his arms around Lance. “I meant it, no more scenes until we really talk about this. I don’t want you to be scared of something that’s good and special.”

 

“Yeah, me either,” Lance replied, snuggling close, “and I think next time I need to do my routine before we play, I’m not getting up again tonight.”

 

Keith chuckled and maneuvered them under their covers, snuggling close. Lance immediately fell asleep, breathing slow and deep, so Keith turned off the light and settled to sleep as well.

 

****

 

“Thanks for coming on such short notice,” Allura said when everyone was gathered at Taste that Friday morning. Hunk and Shay came in early to open for them, even though Coran provided breakfast from the bakery and Shiro and Allura brought coffee. Acxa was there too, mostly on accident as she’d planned to come in early to check on the ice machines they’d defrosted the night before, and get them running again in time for opening.

 

Pidge waited patiently until she finished her task, then snagged her hand and drug her over for the impromptu meeting Allura had scheduled the previous evening.

 

She and Shiro stood before the group (including Matt this morning) holding hands. Shiro was blushing down into his shirt while Allura stood straight and proud before them.

 

“We’ve decided on a wedding date, and we hope this is enough time to make the proper accommodations,” she continued.

 

“What you mean is close our shops for you,” Coran accused, and was rewarded with a smattering of laughter.

 

“Yeah, pretty much. But I’m gonna tell you now it’s not a big to-do like you might think,” Shiro added. He exchanged a look with Allura, and continued, “we’re getting married July 20th.”

 

“This year or next?” Keith asked, already knowing the answer. Lance shot him a half-glare, while he gave back a smug look.

 

“This year,” Allura said with an exasperated smile, “it will be at the court house, and the only other people invited are Shiro’s parents and the Holts.”

 

“Where are you having your reception?” Shay asked, folding her arms over her chest.

 

Shiro rubbed the back of his head, already looking sheepish. “We were going to ask you after the meeting if we could book the restaurant?”

 

Immediately, Shay relaxed, “good.”

 

“Oh! Oh! I found some sample wedding menus in the files, I’ll pull them out and you can look them over!” Hunk exclaimed, already rushing off to the office despite Shiro and Shay calling him back.

 

“We’ll close the place down for you,” Shay promised, then looked at Acxa, “can you put that in the schedule for me?”

 

With a nod, Acxa let go of Pidge’s hand to wander over to the hostess station, flipping through the calendar to find the date. She paused, and asked, “the whole day?”

 

“No, our appointment with the justice is—“ Allura began

 

“—yes, the whole day,” Shay interrupted.

 

“I’m sorry Shay, we can’t afford to close the place down all day,” Shiro jumped in.

 

“You don’t have to. Just cover the food and we’ve got the rest,” Shay replied with a pat on his arm.

 

“Got it,” Acxa said, having crossed through the whole day and written ‘SHIROGANE WEDDING RECEPTION’ over it, “Narti’s going to lose her mind over this, she’ll have the whole place decked out in whatever colors you want.”

 

“I’ll make sure to get with her soon then,” Allura promised. Acxa wrote a note in that vein to Narti before resuming her place next to Pidge.

 

“Okay, I know you guys have to get back to the Bakery, that was all we wanted to say. Allura has invitations coming, so expect that in the mail,” Shiro said, “Acxa, we’d like your address as well if you’re comfortable with that.”

 

“Yeah, okay,” Acxa shared a quiet goodbye with Pidge, then walked over to where Hunk had just come back out with the special wedding menus.

 

Everyone else filed out and walked as a group back toward Voltron and Altea. It was turning out to be a beautiful day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaaahhhhh...hahahahahahahah....I have no idea what I'm doing. Again, the D/S stuff is mostly off the cuff, mixed with stuff I've read (on here and tumblr) or seen (also tumblr). So again, if I portrayed something problematic or wrong please tell me so I can fix it.
> 
> Aaaaannnnnndddd!!!!
> 
> As always! Thank you so, so, so, so much for all your love and support! The comments, and kudos, and to see how many of you have subscribed to this story so you get notified when I post - omg I'm so flattered!
> 
> I love you all
> 
> <3<3


	21. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A lot of smut, and a little life, hehe...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gosh, another long wait, and this chapter doesn't feel like much besides lots of sex. I guess that's okay! I'll work to put more content in the next one.
> 
> Enjoy!

Keith sat Lance down on the couch with a serious expression. It was their next shared day off, which was fortunately just a few days later, ready to talk about their newest bedroom adventure. To Lance’s surprise, he had print outs of information, and even a—

 

“—BDSM checklist?” Lance asked, holding the stack of papers gingerly, “oh my god, what…you do all this stuff?”

 

“No,” Keith was quick to reply, “that’s just a generic list off the internet. It’s pretty comprehensive, and I have another I filled out. When you’re ready, you can fill that out and we’ll compare so we know what we both like and what our limits are. I know—“ he held up a hand to forestall Lance’s retort, “—I know you’re not gonna know all your limits, but you already have one, right?”

 

“I do?” Lance put down the checklist as if it would burn him.

 

“You told me the first time Daddy Kink is a no.”

 

“Oh. Right.”

 

“Some of the things on here you’re going to know from your gut reaction. And I want you to trust your gut. But that will come later,” Keith moved the checklist aside and moved the other papers in front of Lance, “read through these first. That one is basics for beginners, and the other is a BDSM term dictionary so you understand what the checklist is asking you.”

 

Lance looked at the papers Keith was pointing to, “how into this stuff are you? Just, like…I’m curious.”

 

Keith waited until Lance turned to look at him. When their eyes met, he smiled reassuringly and shrugged, “not very. I’ll let you look over my checklist when you’re done with yours. It’s pretty tame, but I still spent a lot of time reading and learning so I knew what I was getting into.”

 

“That makes sense.”

 

“I know this is a lot,” Keith admitted, “but it’s hard to stick a toe in and, in my opinion, have a safe experience or scene,” he shifted his seat a bit, “do you want me to stay while you read? Or would you like some space to take it all in?”

 

“You can stay if you want, but if you have something you need to do I’ll be fine on my own,” Lance replied with a smile, “if I have any questions I’ll ask.”

 

Keith nodded and pressed a kiss to the side of Lance’s head. “I’ll get started on lunch,” he said into Lance’s hair and, with a squeeze to his knee got up and went to the kitchen.

 

Lance read through the two documents, lulled into comfort by the sounds Keith made in the kitchen, then reached for the checklist again. Keith had even put a pencil on the table, so he decided to go ahead and work on filling it out, making sure to listen to his gut as Keith had encouraged.

 

By the time a plate bearing a hot panini and chips was placed in front of him, he’d worked through most of the checklist.

 

“Smells great, thanks,” he murmured, looking up when Keith hesitated to sit down beside him, “you okay?”

 

“You want some more time?” Keith asked. He was smiling in amusement, head tilted, his own plate balanced on his palm.

 

Lance smiled back, “you don’t mind?”

 

“Of course not. Do you have any questions?”

 

“Not really, no. That glossary answered pretty much anything I was unsure about.”

 

“Good. I’ll go sit at the bar,” Keith turned to go, but stopped when Lance hooked a finger in one of his belt loops. Lance’s expectant expression wasn’t lost on him and he huffed, amused, before bending down to share a kiss. “Don’t forget to eat.”

 

“Yes, Sir,” Lance cheeked, and Keith groaned but backed away and went to the bar. He focused on his lunch to eat the panini, then came back to the checklist while he polished off the chips. By the time he was done with his plate he’d finished going through the list as well. After cleaning himself up he stacked the pages neatly and set them to the side, then took his plate and trash to the kitchen, snagging Keith’s empty plate on his way to wash up. “I finished the checklist,” he said quietly, watching Keith from the corner of his eye.

 

Keith hummed and left the bar. Unexpectedly, he went first into their bedroom, but returned shortly after with another set of papers. _Oh, his checklist_. Lance watched for a moment as he sat on the couch and set his list beside Lance’s looking through them simultaneously. He waited for Keith to say something, forcing himself to keep going, washing the last few items and setting them on the rack to dry. When he finished, he hovered in the kitchen, unsure, before shaking himself and joining Keith on the couch.

 

“So…?” Lance asked, resting his elbows on his knees and clasping his hands together tightly.

 

“So,” Keith replied, “you’re a bit more adventurous than I thought you’d be.”

 

“Is that—“

 

“It’s a good thing,” he said, cutting Lance off, “we actually have a lot of interests in common.”

 

“That’s good.”

 

“Mm.”

 

Lance took a deep breath, “so what happens now?”

 

“Now we talk about this,” Keith held up the lists, “and discuss how we want to run scenes. You’ll be trusting me to call the shots and make it good while also keeping us safe.”

 

“Do we do that now? Or…”

 

“If you’re okay with it, now is good since it’s fresh in your mind.”

 

“Okay.”

 

Keith turned to face Lance, gaze scrutinizing, “yeah?”

 

Lance smiled. It looked a bit forced, but mostly from nerves, “yeah.”

 

“Okay.”

 

——

 

“I didn’t—ah—expect that conversation to—mm!—turn you on so much,” Keith panted. Somehow toward the end of their conversation he’d ended up laid back on the couch with a horny Lance humping his leg and trying hard not to put marks all over his neck.

 

Lance paused long enough to give Keith an unimpressed look, then licked his neck and resumed kissing and sucking the sensitive skin. “I’ve been—anticipating—this—for _days_ —it’s been—all I could think about.”

 

Keith’s fingers tangled in Lance’s hair, and he tugged to bring his head up to meet his eyes, “are you saying you want to do a scene? Now?”

 

“Maybe,” Lance muttered, biting his lip and averting his gaze.

 

Keith almost turned him down, concerned Lance would be too nervous after talking through the list. But after a moment to think he registered exactly what Lance just said…thinking about it for days, anticipating this so they could do it again. “All you had to do was say so.”

 

Lance immediately brightened, grinning big and turning his eyes back to Keith, “really?”

 

“Mm, hmm…what did you have in mind?” Keith asked, tone already slipping into what Lance started to think of as ‘Sir mode’.

 

“Um…” Lance flushed. He stopped moving to think, looking all over Keith’s face for a few moments before laying over him and shoving his face against Keith’s neck to mumble something against the skin.

 

“I didn’t catch that,” Keith teased, “care to repeat it where I can hear it?”

 

Lance huffed, but moved his head enough to free his mouth and say, “the thing you told me you wanted to do last time.”

 

“Oh?” Keith remembered quite clearly what he’d promised Lance, “do you remember the exact words I used?”

 

“Do I have to?” Lance whined.

 

Keith, fingers still in Lance’s hair, gently tugged him up until their eyes met again, “yes. And I want you to look at me when you say it, or I won’t do it.”

 

Lance’s flush turned into a full-on blush, the color traveling down his cheeks to disappear into the collar of his shirt. “I, um…you said ‘I’m going to lick you open, fuck you full of my cum, then eat it out of you’,” he said quickly, and slammed his eyes shut as soon as he’d finished the sentence.

 

Keith’s deep exhale stirred the hair along Lance’s forehead, “that’s right, baby. You up for something like that today?”

 

Lance didn’t open his eyes, but he nodded right away, “ye-yes, Sir.”

 

“You know how to get yourself ready for that?”

 

“Uh…the-the…cleaning-out thing? Yeah.”

 

“Then go get cleaned up. Take your time, I’ll be waiting in the bedroom.” Keith helped Lance stand up, and patted his ass to get him moving, walking calmly to the bedroom as Lance hurried to the bathroom and closed the door behind him.

 

Lance figured the best way to go about that would be to take a shower. He used the permission to take his time seriously, reading the instructions on the enema kit carefully before taking the item into the shower. First he washed himself, even though he took a shower just a few hours ago, then went through the process of cleaning himself out.

 

Finished, he was relieved that only twenty minutes had passed and not something ridiculous like an hour. He cleaned the kit, left it out to dry, and went to the bed room.

 

Keith hadn’t been idle while he waited. He’d prepped the bed, tossing the covers over the mattress and protecting everything with a towel. The lube stood by, blinds closed, and salt lamp on. Keith was again wearing just his pants (gray sweats today), but for now hadn’t let his cock hang out just yet.

 

Lance hovered in the door way, then stepped in and closed the door behind him. At the sound, Keith looked up from his phone and smiled, beckoning Lance closer. “Come here, baby,” he said, standing to bring Lance into the circle of his arms when he was close enough. “How’d it go?”

 

“Weird,” Lance answered, “but not too bad.”

 

“Good,” Keith nodded, “color?”

 

“Green.”

 

“Shall we begin?”

 

“Yes, Sir.”

 

Keith’s smile turned sharp. “On the bed, baby, show me your cock.”

 

Lance obeyed immediately, climbing onto the bed and turning around to face Keith. He sat on his knees, legs spread wide, and pulled his arms up high behind his back, locking them together by clasping is forearms, chest pushed out. He finished the pose by lowering his head and caught sight of his own cock, steadily plumping and rising in anticipation.

 

“Beautiful,” Keith murmured, chuckling when Lance squirmed at the praise. When Lance dared to peek up without moving his head, he saw how Keith’s sweats were already beginning to tent and grinned to himself. Keith moved closer, crawling onto the bed in front of Lance and settled on his knees as well. Cool hands trailed over Lance’s arms and shoulders, down his chest (with a short detour to tease his nipples) and stomach, and finally to his nearly hard cock. “I’m gonna play with you a little bit before we start the real fun.”

 

Lance’s breath hitched, hips twitching toward Keith. “Yes, Sir,” he said, breathless, and moaned when Keith’s hand closed around his cock to stroke so lightly he had to rely on his eyes to remember Keith was actually touching him. Keith’s other hand wasn’t idle, gently teasing Lance’s balls and perineum while the hand on his cock slowly increased its pressure until he was fully jerking Lance off.

 

“Look up, look at me,” Keith said, “show me how it feels.”

 

Lance did as he was told, a moan coming out when he locked eyes with Keith. The lack of visual stimulation merely heightened the sensations he was receiving from Keith’s hands. His face was a mask of suppressed pleasure; eyebrows pinched, eyes glazed, mouth open, breath panting. Keith’s own tortured expression helped draw the helpless whines and moans from Lance. Soon enough, he began to tense all over, thighs shaking and hips pumping his cock into Keith’s fist, his voice whining higher and higher until suddenly Keith let go, stopping him right at the edge.

 

Lance whined again, curling forward while his hips tried to find friction with the air around his cock.

 

“I think that’s my favorite view,” Keith said, smirk evident in his voice, “watching you, so desperate to come.”

 

Lance couldn’t pull it together enough to glare, so he sent Keith a pleading look instead and whined, “Sir…”

 

“I know baby. Go ahead and turn over, like before, but you’re going to spread your cheeks this time.”

 

Lance whined again, cock twitching as he realized what Keith would be doing while he was in that position. He spent a moment shaking out his arms then turned over, up on his knees, chest on the bed, hands pulling his ass cheeks apart to show off his fluttering hole.

 

“Oh, I almost forgot,” Keith said, pulling something up next to Lance, “here, sit up for a second.” He helped Lance sit up and slid a lump in front of him, a small pile of pillows wrapped in another towel. Keith guided Lance back down, Lance realizing the pillows were there to help support his hips and put less strain on his knees.

 

He shivered when Keith pulled his cock out to lay pointing down against the pillows, but still remembered to say, “thank you, Sir,” unprompted.

 

“You’re welcome, baby,” Keith murmured into the skin of his lower back, pressing kisses up his spine, “I need you in this position for longer and I don’t want you getting uncomfortable.”

 

Lance shivered at the feel of lips and warm breath over his back, whining when Keith’s still-clothed groin pressed up against his ass. He wiggled, groaning when his cock rubbed against the towel covered pillows. He had to fight hard not to rut against them, afraid Keith would take them away if he didn’t control himself.

 

“Ready?” Keith asked after a few teasing thrusts against Lance’s backside.

 

“Y-yes, Sir,” Lance whimpered and reached back to pull his cheeks apart again. He could feel Keith’s gaze travel down his back again, felt him shiver against his legs, heard his breath stutter at the sight, and squirmed. Keith’s hands clamped on his thighs to hold him still, but even so he shivered hard when Keith’s breath puffed over his crack. Another whine was working its way out of his mouth when something warm and wet swept across his hole, and that whine turned into a shout. That shout tapered off into a drawn out moan when Keith licked over his hole again and again, hands squeezing his thighs in time with his licks.

 

“Baby, you taste good,” Keith said between licks, “how does it feel?”

 

“A—ah! It’s…fuck, oh! So good Sir!” Lance cried, legs trembling in his effort to not push back against Keith’s face.

 

“Mm…good. Ready for more?”

 

“M-more?” Lance whimpered.

 

Keith grinned, Lance could feel his cheeks move against his ass, “I did say I’d lick you open, didn’t I?”

 

“…fuck…”

 

“Color?”

 

“Green!”

 

“Good boy,” Keith pressed in again, licking harder and harder until his tongue wormed its way past the ring of muscle, groaning when Lance clenched around him.

 

Lance jerked hard and shook all over when Keith’s tongue breached him, voicing a hoarse shout when the sensation continued. _Oh, god. Keith was fucking him with his tongue_. “Oh my god…”

 

Keith kept going, tongue thrusting in as far as it could, teeth occasionally catching on Lance’s rim, and soon a slicked finger, and then two joined his tongue to stretch him more. Another few moments, and Keith began to play with Lance’s prostate.

 

At the added stimulation, Lance writhed and moaned long, low, and loud. He was starting to lose his grip on his ass as his whole body began sporting a sheen of sweat, so he gripped harder. He knew in the back of his mind that he would be giving himself bruises, but at the moment he didn’t care. Keith was all he could think about, his tongue, teeth, and fingers sending him higher, higher, higher, until he felt himself coiling tight. “Ah! I’m—I’m gonna come! Please! Please Sir! Sir can I come?”

 

Keith spent another agonizing moment teasing him, then pulled away to say, “no.” He didn’t push Lance, though, pulling his face away and slowly extracting his fingers. His hands smoothed up and down Lance’s thighs while he shivered and whined, tugging on his hips to keep him from rutting against the pillows. “Color?”

 

“G-green,” Lance whimpered, shaky breaths slowly deepening and evening out until he’d pulled himself back from that desperate feeling.

 

Keith hummed, one hand disappearing from Lance’s skin. Lance could feel him fumbling around with something, eyes widening when he realized those slick sounds were him lubing his cock. “You ready to keep going? I have two more things I promised to do.”

 

Lance nodded against the pillows, hips wiggling in what he hoped was an enticing manner. “Yes, yes please Sir, please…”

 

“Please what?” Keith asked. Lance could feel his cock hovering right next to his hole. He could still feel his sweats against his thighs, and had a fleeting image of Keith, kneeling behind him with his sweats pushed down just far enough to tuck under his cock and balls. It took everything he had not to suddenly push back and impale himself.

 

“Please, please fuck me, Sir!” Lance whined, face beet red and turning toward the pillow to hide.

 

Keith inched forward, “so good for me,” pressing against Lance’s hole, increasing the pressure slowly and steadily until his head popped through the tight ring with a groan. “Fuck, fuck, so tight…”

 

Lance keened, unable to stop himself from pushing back just a little, babbling, “please, please Sir, please, fuck me please, Sir please, fuck me Sir, fuck me Sir, fuck me S-ss-sir! Ah!” he cried when Keith suddenly thrust all the way in. He didn’t wait for any adjustment, immediately drawing back and thrusting back in, setting a fast, deep pace that had Lance gasping punched-out moans in his effort to keep up.

 

“Oh yea,” Keith groaned, hands clamped around Lance’s hips to pull him back into each of his thrusts, “yeah, fuck that’s good. Good boy, so tight for me, so hot and wet…” As an afterthought, Keith knocked Lance’s hands off his ass, pleasure curling in his gut when Lance immediately brought his hands up to brace himself against the head board. He adjusted his grip, tilted Lance’s hips just so, and thrust in _hard._

 

Lance screamed, Keith’s cock hitting his prostate dead-on and then continued to do so with accuracy learned from knowing Lance’s body so well. It didn’t take long for Lance to tense all over again, fingers digging into the wood of his head board. “Fuh—uhhck! Ah! Please! Please Sir! Please! Please, please, pleasepleaseplease…”

 

“Please—ah!—what, baby?”

 

“Come! Please let me come! Please Sir!—uh!” Lance trailed off into garbled moans, his hole tightening around Keith’s cock telling more to Keith about how close he was than his begging ever could.

 

Keith wasn’t about to hold out for much longer, so he picked up the pace, curling over Lance’s back to bite kisses across his shoulders, “come, baby.”

 

In another part of his mind, Lance was starting to wonder if Keith was training him to simply come on command, but the rest of his brain didn’t care. It was lost to the white haze of pleasure as Lance shouted his release into his pillow, throbbing cock splattering cum over the towels, his legs, and Keith’s sweats.

 

That cry tapered off into overstimulated whimpering when Keith kept pounding his prostate, drawing out his orgasm until he felt completely spent. He was just starting to shudder and call out yellow when Keith changed his angle away from his prostate to keep fucking him. He moaned again, hips pushing back with Keith’s guidance. He found a bit of reprieve, even though Keith didn’t stop, and caught his breath while rhythmically clenching his hole around Keith’s cock.

 

Keith groaned, “shit, baby, you know just what I like.” He slowed down to savor the feeling, letting Lance recover a little more while he kept talking. “I’m going to fuck you until you’re hard again, then I’ll come, but you’re going to wait to come again on my tongue, understand?”

 

“F-fuck, yes, Sir,” Lance moaned, already feeling himself stirring against the pillows holding him up.

  
Of course, Keith didn’t make it so easy for him. He shifted again, back into position to nail Lance’s prostate, and resumed his punishing pace. Lance muffled his cries into the pillow while his cock quickly filled out again, the quick turn-around almost painful, but just on the side of ‘fuck, so good’ that Lance had to work hard to hold back from coming again so soon.

 

“Ah! K-kei—Sir! Fuck, Sir I’m gonna—!” Lance cried out in warning just as Keith froze with a yell. Lance could feel Keith’s cock twitch inside him, and imagined his hot cum branding his insides. It was fortunate Keith stopped then, as Lance had been too close to the end of his self control. He squeezed around Keith’s cock in a pattern similar to his orgasm, pulling more moans and groans from Keith.

 

When Keith was spent, he curled over Lance again to rest his forehead between his shoulder blades. “Damn…”

 

Lance kept up the clenching pattern, grinning with each shiver and moan from Keith until he lightly smacked his ass with a muttered, “that’s enough.”

 

“Yes, Sir,” Lance gasped, shaking with effort to keep his orgasm back.

 

“Color?”

 

“Green.”

 

“What was that, baby?”

 

Lance nearly giggled, a bit giddy in his overstimulation. “That slap nearly made me come,” he confessed.

 

“It did?” Keith mused. Lance could hear an evil plan forming in his tone, and was unsurprised to hear, “sounds like something we need to experiment with.”

 

“Fuck…yes, please…” he whimpered, already imagining Keith spanking him until he came, then making him ride his cock so each drop down felt like another slap to his ass, “oh, god…fuck…please, Sir!”

 

“Ready for my tongue again?” Keith asked, thrusting his softening cock.

 

Lance groaned, ass clamping down tight, “yes, Sir!”

 

Keith didn’t make Lance wait any longer. He pulled out with a sigh, sitting on his heels and spreading Lance’s cheeks. At first he simply watched, Lance’s hole gaping for a little bit, then slowly closing around the drip of cum leaking out already. Then he leaned in, sealed his lips over Lance’s hole, and sucked hard.

 

Lance couldn’t hold back his whines, already begging Keith to fuck him with his tongue while his hips fought to rut against the pillows and push back into Keith’s face. Keith gave in quickly, tongue fucking in and out, accompanied with the slurping sounds of Keith swallowing his own cum. For whatever reason, the reality of that happening was the hottest thing that ever happened to Lance. “Can I come, Sir?” he asked, breathless.

 

Keith paused just long enough to say, “not yet,” before diving back in. Lance trembled with the effort, but held of until Keith stopped slurping and returned to the teasing tongue-fucking he’d done earlier.

 

When two fingers joined his tongue again, Lance cried out, “please! Please I can’t…I can’t hold it! Please Sir let me come! Please! Please, please please pleasepleasepleaseplease!” he chanted, hips stuttering in his attempts to hold off.

 

Keith hummed, nodded, and used his fingers to push down hard on Lance’s prostate, rubbing in tight circles.

 

Lance screamed again and came, more cum splattering over them and the towels as his hole clamped down so tight it pushed Keith’s fingers and tongue out instead of holding them in. Keith sat back, then crawled to Lance’s side to check on him.

 

“Baby?” he asked, when Lance’s eyes fluttered but didn’t open at his proximity.

 

“Mmm…Sir?” Lance mumbled, already boneless, his ass held up only from the pillows under his hips.

 

“Color?”

 

“’Sgreen…’sgood….” he slurred, smiling a bit when he heard Keith huff beside him.

 

Keith moved away for about a minute, then came back with a moist wash cloth. He gently cleaned Lance up, removed the soiled towels, put the pillows back where they belonged (Lance’s side of the bed, c’mon), and helped Lance settle into a comfortable position before cuddling close again.

 

“You need water before you drift off, okay?” he murmured quietly, fingers running through Lance’s hair.

 

“Hmmmmmmmkay…”

 

“I take that to mean sit you up and make you drink water now?”

 

“Uh, huh…”

 

“C’mon then, up you get.”

 

“Mmm hmm…”

 

****

 

“Keith? What’s wrong?”

 

Keith never called Lance while he was working, so Lance was understandably worried that something was very wrong.

 

_“Sorry, I just wanted to leave you a voice mail. Pidge is driving me crazy and I need to let off some steam.”_

 

“Well, lucky for you I was just about to go on break. Do you want to stay on the phone? Or I can meet you out back?”

 

There was a sigh from the other end of the line, a few moments of silence, then, _“yeah, I’m already out here. I had to get out before I murdered that gremlin.”_

 

“Okay,” Lance said with a chuckle, “see you in a bit.”

 

_“Bye.”_

 

“Bye.”

 

Lance looked down at his phone and shook his head. He wondered what Pidge could have done to get under Keith’s skin, but couldn’t come up with anything. He hung up his apron, waved at Olia, and stepped out the back door.

 

Keith pounced on Lance the moment the bakery door closed. He shoved Lance against the wall and leaned against him, burying his face in the crook of Lance’s neck while his arms wrapped around his waist. He ended the action with a frustrated groan, which turned into a heavy sigh when Lance reached up and buried his fingers in Keith’s hair, effectively ruining his little pony tail.

 

“What’s the matter?” Lance murmured, tilting his head down to press a kiss to Keith’s temple.

 

Keith groaned again, “ugh, Pidge.”

 

“Yes, I gathered that much,” Lance teased, “what about Pidge?”

 

“They had their date with Acxa last night.”

 

“I remember. And…?”

 

“And now not only are they a sappy, gushy, blushing mess, they’re _telling me about it_ ,” Keith nuzzled closer, if that was even possible, “it’s awful. I’ve never heard them gush about a single person so goddamn much and I’m starting to kinda hate Acxa simply because I don’t wanna hear about how _nice_ she is and how much she makes Pidge _laugh_ and—“ Lance’s laughter cut through Keith’s little rant, and he lifted his head to glare up at his boyfriend, “—what the hell, Lance?”

 

“Keith,” Lance said between chuckles, “babe, can you possibly think of _why_ Pidge might be doing this? Are they gushing about Acxa to Shiro, or just you?”

 

“Wha—uh, just…me—wait, what are you saying?”

 

“How much do you talk about me while you’re working?” Lance asked with a knowing smirk.

 

“I don’t—“ Keith cut himself off, brows drawn together in thought, “some, I guess…”

 

“Uh, huh.”

 

“Maybe a lot, I don’t know! What does that have to do with anything?” Keith tried to pull away, but Lance wouldn’t let go of his head so he tucked his face into Lance’s shoulder with a sniff.

 

Lance smiled down at Keith’s head, “and how often does Pidge complain that they don’t wanna hear you gushing about me?”

 

Keith’s voice was muffled, “uhh…a lot?”

 

“So Pidge gushing to you, specifically you, about Acxa and how _wonderful_ she is…”

 

“…is payback?”

 

“Kinda,” Lance said, then shook his head, “well, maybe more like an example. Petty revenge isn’t really their style, but I can see them throwing your actions back at you so you’ll recognize them and stop.”

 

“You’re not helping me vent,” Keith muttered.

 

“Sorry.”

 

“How do you know all this anyway?”

 

“I don’t live in a bubble,” Lance said, “Pidge and I text regularly, and they don’t hold back on letting me know how annoying you are when you’re being mushy about me.”

 

“You’re joking, right?”

 

“Nope,” Lance popped the ‘p’.

 

“Damnit,” Keith sighed, “I’m sorry. I don’t _mean_ to be that guy…but—“

 

“You totally _are_ that guy, babe,” Lance interrupted, “but that’s part of what I love about you. You have the tough guy look, the loner attitude, but under those outside layers you’re sensitive, and caring, and kind, and scary observant. You claim not to be good with communicating but so far you’ve taught me more about open and honest communication than anyone else. I’m really, _really_ flattered that you talk about me when you’re working. It actually…helps relieve some of my anxiety when Pidge complains about you, because then I know you’re not talking shit about me behind my back.”

 

Keith raised his head to stare at Lance in horror, “I would _never_ —“

 

“I know, that, up here,” Lance tapped his temple with a finger, “but here,” he tapped his chest, “it’s hard to quiet the nasty voices sometimes that tell me I’m not good enough, you know?”

 

“Yeah,” Keith sighed, and locked eyes with Lance, “I do know.” He leaned forward, but paused just before his lips touched Lance’s, silently asking permission.

 

With an amused huff, Lance closed the distance, pressing their lips together and quickly parted his to deepen the kiss. Keith responded in kind, licking into Lance’s mouth, now caging Lance against the wall to press their hips together in a sudden burst of heat.

 

Beyond their little bubble, across the street, there was a small commotion, some muttering amongst a few people, then a shout directed at them.

 

“Fags!”

 

Keith’s only movement was to whip his head around, Lance following the action to get a good look at the person, oh— _people_ , who felt confident enough to shout at them. It was a group of five guys and three girls, dressed in what Lance called ‘rich, white, resort chic’. The girls, and two of the guys looked suitably uncomfortable with the confrontation. One of the girls was tugging at the arm of the guy in front, presumably the one who shouted, and was hissing something at him. That guy though, and another two, were glaring at Lance and Keith like their back-alley kissing was personally offensive to them.

 

“Go do that somewhere private, where we don’t have to have your perverted actions rubbed in our faces,” the guy in front called.

 

“Wh—“

 

“I’m sorry,” Lance interrupted Keith, who whipped around to stare at him in shock. Lance spared Keith a smirk and a wink, then looked back at the group, “I didn’t realize your eyes were automatically drawn to things you don’t like to see. I’m sure you could find a doctor around here that can prescribe you a bottle of _look-away_.”

 

The guy bared his teeth at them, and would have jumped across the street if the uncomfortable friends hadn’t stopped him. One of them said, loud enough for Keith and Lance to hear, “dude, what is _wrong_ with you?”

 

“I’m so sorry,” the girl on his arm said, tugging again to try and pull him away, “come on, let’s _go_.”

 

Unfortunately, he had two other friends willing to back him up, and they helped him stay put.

 

“No one wants to see two _fags_ kissing in public,” he sneered, “let alone _fags_ at all.”

 

“Wow,” Lance said, tone full of sarcastic emphasis, “you know, the first time you said fag I was only mildly upset about it, but now that you’ve said it three times, well I’m just down right hurt.” He grinned when some of the guy’s ‘friends’ snickered at his snark, “I mean, if the word _fag_ is the only offensive term you can think of, I guess that makes it the best, or worst I guess, one, and doesn’t reflect on your intelligence or imagination _at all_.”

 

“Lance,” Keith hissed, “you’re gonna set him off.”

 

Lance shook his head, “his friends won’t let him, see, the other two losers are already losing interest,” he whispered back.

 

“Why you—“ he tried to cross the street again, but the friends were still holding him back. Sure enough, the two who seemed to agree with him were starting to look uncomfortable now, too.

 

“I guess they’ve never had someone stand up to them,” Lance muttered.

 

“You know what?” the girl tugging on his arm said, “you wanna pick a fight with those guys? Go ahead Brian,” she let go of him and started walking down the strip, “I’ll be at the restaurant. You guys coming?” The rest of the group hesitated, looked between the two, and started following the girl down the sidewalk.

 

“Monica,” the guy warned, but now he was alone, and Keith’s tank top did nothing to hide the defined muscles on his arms, “Monica, wait!”

 

“Yeah!” Lance called, “wait up!” He slipped out from between Keith and the wall to wave the girl down, “you going to Toast?”

 

Monica stopped and looked at Lance, a bit wary, “uh…yeah?”

 

Lance grinned, “tell Hunk Lance says ‘hi’,” and winked.

 

Monica went from looking wary, to down right scared, “uh…okay?”

 

“Don’t worry, he’s really nice,” Lance soothed, then waved and turned back to Keith with a smug look.

 

Brian stared at Lance for a little while longer, then shook his head and followed his friends, “hey! Wait up!”

 

Lance and Keith watched until they were out of eyesight, then Lance burst out laughing. Keith scowled for a bit longer, then loosened up enough to smile a bit.

 

“You almost got us beat up,” Keith accused.

 

“Nah,” Lance soothed, “if it had just been those three, yeah maybe. But the others…I don’t think they knew he was homophobic, they looked pretty shocked.”

 

“They also ruined the mood,” Keith muttered.

 

Lance rolled his eyes, “if you hadn’t noticed, we _are_ in public.”

 

Keith grumbled something, and Lance leaned forward with raised brows, “you gonna say that where I can hear it?”

 

Keith sighed, but muttered more clearly, “just wanted—ugh, the tease, you know?”

 

“The…tease?” Lance asked. When Keith nodded and bit his lip, Lance smirked, “you still wanna?”

 

Keith tilted his head, thinking, pulled out his phone to check the time, and said, “uh…yeah.”

 

So Lance put himself back against the wall and tugged Keith closer by his belt loops, “c’mon, then.”

 

Keith didn’t have to be told twice. He braced his forearms against the wall around Lance’s head, pressed their hips together, and claimed Lance’s mouth, startling a moan out of him.

 

Lance’s fingers tangled in Keith’s hair again, and it didn’t take long for them to get hot and heavy, barely kissing, panting as Keith worked his hips to rub their constricted erections together.

 

Things were winding higher and higher, and Lance found himself mindlessly chasing his orgasm, only to be abruptly stopped when Keith suddenly moved his hips away with a shudder and a groan. Lance whined, head falling back against the wall in frustration, “fucking tease.”

 

“That,” Keith panted, “was the point.”

 

“Shit.”

 

“You gonna be okay?” Keith asked.

 

Lance swallowed around his dry throat, “I think so. Fuck, is that really what you wanted?”

 

“Yeah, it um…” Keith blushed, “helps me focus, keeps me looking forward to the end of the day.”

 

“When you can come home and fuck me,” Lance answered his own question.

 

“That’s—yeah.”

 

“And what if I wanted to fuck you?” Lance asked, smirking.

 

Keith paused, searched Lance’s face, and swallowed, “yeah, that—that works too.”

 

Lance hummed, pulled Keith in for another kiss, then gently pushed him away, “we’ll see later. I still need to eat my lunch.”

 

“Shit, sorry,” Keith said, backing away and rubbing the back of his neck. He scowled when he realized his hair was a mess, and pulled out the elastic to redo his pony tail. “So…tonight?”

 

“Yeah. Tonight. You wanna do a scene?” Lance tried to adjust his shirt and pants to hide his bulge, to no avail.

 

“Nah. Just us tonight.”

 

“‘Kay.”

 

“Hey,” Keith reached out and gently took Lance’s hand, “I love you.”

 

“Yeah?” Lance cheeked, grinning at Keith’s fondly exasperated look, “good. I love you, too.”

 

They shared another kiss, and Keith watched Lance head back inside.

 

Lance took a deep breath, looked down at his crotch, and muttered, “I’m eating lunch in the cooler.”

 

——

 

 

**Hunk’a Burnin Love**

Dude, what the hell was that?

 

**Lancey Lance**

What the hell was what?

 

**Hunk’a Burnin Love**

That group today. One of them said you said ‘hi’? And they were super embarrassed about it?

 

**Lancey Lance**

Oh, shit. I didn’t think she’d do it! Haha…you got a minute? I’m not typing this out.

 

 

In response, Lance’s phone started to ring. He was glad he’d already gone home, he didn’t want Coran to hear that he’d been harassed. The man was scary when on his protective streak.

 

“Hey man,” Lance said when he answered the call.

 

 _“So what’s the story?”_ was the immediate reply.

 

Lance chuckled. “Okay, so, I was outside with Keith…” he told Hunk about what happened, even going back to tell him why they were out there in the first place. When he finished, the other end of the line was silent. “Hunk? You still there?”

 

 _“Yeah,”_ Hunk said, then sighed, _“dude. First, verbal fist-bump for standing up for yourself—“_

 

“Thanks, man.”

 

_“—no problem. Second, dude! I’m kinda surprised Keith didn’t jump in and rail that guy.”_

 

“What?” Lance switched the phone to his other ear so he could get started on dinner, “he didn’t even move except to look at them, though he was really tense the whole time. I can’t say I wasn’t either, cuz’, y’know…”

 

_“Come to think of it, he hasn’t really lost his temper much, if at all, since you guys started dating. Well, except when he decked Lotor which was, well, I’d have done the same so…”_

 

“Love you too, big guy. But seriously. I mean, he told me how he was super angry in high school and stuff but…I’ve _never_ seen him lose his temper. Even with Lotor, he punched him once and that was it.”

 

_“Usually one hit from Keith is all it takes. But that’s not what I’m getting at.”_

 

“Then what?”

 

 _“You’ve chilled him out, big time.”_ Hunk paused when Lance scoffed, but jumped in again before he could deny it, _“seriously, man. At first I figured it was because he was so focused on you, getting to know you and spending time with you. And then I guess we just kinda got used to it because no one really said anything, but Acxa mentioned it the other day and I realized she was right. The last time Keith had a run-in with Lotor, before we met you, Shiro had to hold him back from jumping the asshole and breaking his face. He didn’t have a lot of things that set him off, mostly jerks, predators, and bigots; but he had a short fuze and it didn’t take long for him to snap.”_ Hunk paused there, and Lance had given up pulling food out of the fridge to give him his full attention, _“anyway, you’ve been good for him. I honestly think he hasn’t snapped at all since he met you.”_

 

“Damn…” Lance breathed, “you think it’s really me? Or just…I dunno, because we talk about literally everything. Like…today. Not with the jerks, but with Pidge teasing him. Instead of taking it out on them, he called me to vent.”

 

_“I think it’s both, but also that they’re the same. It’s you, and for whatever reason you guys communicate like you’ve been together for forever instead of not even a year. So yeah, he almost lost it and instead of letting it happen he called you. And instead of crossing the street and starting a fight, he stayed by you, honestly probably to protect you since…well, Lotor.”_

 

“Oh…yeah, true.”

 

_“Anyway, I’ve got to get back. Just…I’m really glad that Keith has you.”_

 

“Huuuunk,” Lance whined, “you’re making me blush.”

 

Hunk laughed, _“well, I am! Talk to you later, buddy.”_

 

“Later, man, thanks.”

 

Hunk hung up, and Lance spent a good minute staring at his phone. The sound of keys jangling and one sliding into the lock of his door jolted him out of his thoughts. He frowned, not expecting Keith home so soon, and moved to the living room wondering if someone simply got the wrong door.

 

Said door opening to let Keith in answered his question. Keith looked over Lance a bit suspiciously, “hey…you okay?”

 

Lance smiled in relief and shoved his hands in his pockets. “Yeah, just…wasn’t expecting you.”

 

Keith frowned, “didn’t I tell you I was off early today?”

 

“No?”

 

“Oh. Well, my afternoon appointments rescheduled and it’s been slow enough I didn’t need to stay.”

 

“Too bad,” Lance grinned, “I was just about to start dinner.” He tilted his head down when Keith walked up to him, humming when he was given the kiss he asked for.

 

“How long?” Keith asked.

 

Lance pursed his lips, “maybe thirty minutes.”

 

“‘Kay. Gonna shower.”

 

“Have fun,” Lance cheeked. Keith rolled his eyes, but smiled anyway and headed to the bed room. Lance spent far longer than he should have staring after Keith, and when he came back out to go to the bathroom with fresh clothes he gave Lance a funny look. Lance simply grinned and turned to the kitchen, but he caught Keith’s quiet chuckle anyway.

 

Lance decided spaghetti would be a better fit tonight than breakfast for dinner, so he put away what he’d already gotten out of the fridge and got out what he needed for the spaghetti instead.

 

He timed his prep almost perfectly, draining the pasta just seconds after Keith emerged from the bathroom, sniffing the air and humming, “mm…smells good.”

 

“Thanks.” Lance nested the strainer in the pot, set the sauce beside it, and handed Keith his bowl. They dished out what they wanted and sat next to each other at the bar where Lance had already set their places and had glasses of water waiting.

 

“So, slow day huh?” Lance commented.

 

Keith hummed around his bite, “hmm…yeah. Not surprising, it’s been tapering off with spring break season winding down.”

 

“Mm, and uh…” Lance ducked his head, cheeks warming up, “did that…tease help any?”

 

“I did, actually,” Keith smiled over at Lance, “thanks for indulging me. Were you okay after?”

 

“I had to eat lunch in the cooler,” Lance groaned dramatically, and Keith chuckled at him, “but it wasn’t too bad, even though I kept a pretty consistent half boner the rest of the day. Thank god for aprons.”

 

Keith stilled for a moment, then turned his attention back to his plate. With a casual air he asked, “what about now?”

 

“Now?” Lance laughed, seeing right through Keith’s act, “shit, it’s all I can do to eat dinner and not jump you.”

 

“Hmm, you have something in mind?”

 

Lance hummed with a shrug, and turned back to his plate. They finished dinner quietly, focused on what would come after and working to finish quickly.

 

After, Keith did the dishes while Lance put away the leftovers, then they found themselves both heading to the bed room. They undressed, readied their space, and laid down together on the bed.

 

“You gonna tell me what you’ve planned?” Keith asked, voice low. There was a quiet, peaceful feel to the room and he didn’t want to disturb it.

 

Lance blushed, but moved closer. He nudged Keith’s shoulder to roll him onto his back and laid over him. Their noses brushed while Lance looked over Keith’s face. “Just wanna make you feel good,” he murmured.

 

Keith huffed through his nose, smiling in amusement, “you always make me feel good.”

 

“Oh, well then,” Lance rolled his eyes, “fine, whatever.” He couldn’t hold the face for long, though, and broke out in a grin when Keith simply raised a brow and waited for him to crack. They chuckled, and Keith wrapped his arms around Lance to brush his hands up and down his back. Lance shivered, jerked, then pushed up to settle between Keith’s legs. “But tonight, I wanna take care of you.”

 

Keith’s breath hitched, color bleeding from his cheeks all the way down to his chest. He looked surprised, and when he reached up to pull Lance down for a kiss, his hands were trembling.

 

“Hey,” Lance said, pausing just above Keith’s lips, “you okay?” He let Keith pull him down the rest of the way then, when he tugged insistently instead of answering.

 

The kiss, though, was nearly answer enough. Keith kissed him with hunger, desperation, and something raw Lance had never experienced from him before. When the kiss ended, Keith looked up to where Lance hovered above him, eyes wide and shining.

 

Lance began to panic inside. What had he said? Was Keith about to cry? _Why?_

 

But then Keith smiled. It was a little shaky, and a single tear escaped to trail down his temple and into his hair. He took a shaky breath, and said, “no one’s ever said that to me before.”

 

“Said—“ Lance cleared his throat, “said what?”

 

“That they wanted to take care of _me_ ,” Keith said, nearly a whisper.

 

Lance stared down at Keith, looking so soft and vulnerable with that confession, and felt a sudden swell of anger on his behalf. He shoved that aside though, and leaned down to kiss the damp skin beside his eye, where the tear had fallen. “Well, they’re all idiots. But I’m also glad I get to do this for you first.”

 

Keith gave a choked off chuckle, “stop, or I’m really gonna cry.”

 

Lance smiled and settled on top of Keith to bury his head in the crook of his shoulder. He heaved a sigh when Keith’s arms wrapped around him and held him close. Lance’s excitement had tapered off a bit with his worry for Keith, but now with them pressed close together, basking in their mutual comfort, he was definitely showing renewed interest. Soon enough he was gently rutting on Keith, his hard cock rubbing along Keith’s which was quickly growing.

 

When they were both panting and thrusting against each other, Lance forced himself to pull away and reach over for the lube. He leaned over Keith and kissed him firmly, tongue darting out to tangle with Keith’s. He got Keith focused on the kiss, melting under him, then slicked his fingers and gently probed for his hole.

 

Keith sighed a moan into Lance’s mouth, spreading his thighs when Lance’s finger slowly pressed in. Lance fist-pumped in his mind when Keith didn’t tense or jolt at all. He grew bolder and worked his finger until he felt Keith was ready for another. The second finger slid in just as easily, and soon Lance was adding a third. After just a few thrusts with three fingers, Lance pressed in and up in search of—

 

“Ah!” Keith broke their kiss to gasp out, head tossed back. The arms around Lance’s back had found their way into his hair and Keith pushed Lance’s head back to make eye contact, “I’m ready.”

 

“Yeah,” Lance breathed. He reluctantly sat up and slowly pulled his fingers out of Keith to slick his cock with the same hand. He shuddered under his own hand, and squeezed tight around the base to try and calm himself a little. Sticking his tongue out at Keith’s smirk, Lance moved closer.

 

Keith reached down to hook his fingers around Lance’s knees, and Lance paused to see what he was doing. Keith raised a brow, widened his smirk and shuffled down to rest his hips on Lance’s thighs. Lance got the hint and helped Keith by holding his hips until he was settled, then guided his cock to Keith’s hole and slowly pressed in.

 

“O—oh,” Lance gasped. The new angle felt amazing, and he had to pause a few times to regain his composure before his hips made contact with Keith’s ass. He didn’t miss Keith’s pleased moan when he passed over his prostate, and realized exactly what this new position was good for. After another moment to calm himself he rolled his hips, earning another quiet moan from Keith, then drew back and began to thrust slow and deep.

 

Lance’s hands couldn’t decide what to do. They caressed Keith’s thighs, held his hips, smoothed over his stomach and chest, then finally ran down his arms to link their fingers together. Keith tugged their hands up by his head, and Lance leaned over him to accommodate the movement. It brought them face to face, and Lance’s chest felt tight at what he saw.

 

Keith looked up at him in awe, eyes still wet, choked off moans falling with each of Lance’s thrusts. Their eyes met, and soon Lance was fighting his own tears. He leaned down farther, brushing kisses over Keith’s cheeks, nose, forehead, and lips. “I love you,” he whispered, and knew the sob he got in return was Keith’s reply. He pulled their hands closer to Keith’s head so he could use his thumbs to wipe away the tears that began to spill over and trickle into his hair. “I love you so much.”

 

Keith suddenly tensed with a cry, and Lance felt his ass constrict around his cock and the wet warmth of his cum splash between their stomachs. He echoed Keith’s cry with his own, colored with surprise. The pulsing tightness around his cock pulled his own orgasm from him and he shuddered at the sudden sensation, curling over Keith to rest his forehead on his chest.

 

Lance shivered with aftershocks while Keith seemed to melt into the mattress, chest heaving. Keith turned his head to the side and pressed a kiss to the inside of Lance’s wrist. Lance lifted his head to see Keith’s eyes closed, breath still stuttering with emotion. He let go of Keith’s other hand and searched the bed beside him for the far corner of the towel, bringing it over to wipe away Keith’s cum, then pulled out and cleaned up there as well.

 

Finished, he tossed the towel off the side of the bed and crawled up next to Keith who turned and buried his face into his neck. Lance didn’t hesitate to wrap his arms around Keith and pull him close, and tucked his face down against his hair. They laid together, Lance quiet, Keith occasionally hiccuping a small sob, until Keith calmed down and lifted his head to look up at Lance sheepishly.

 

Lance smiled down at Keith. His chest felt full and light. “Hey.”

 

“Hi,” Keith whispered back. His eyelashes were still wet, and a little red rimmed his eyes, but the shy smile on his lips had Lance’s heart skipping a beat. “Sorry about that.”

 

“No,” Lance shook his head, “are you okay?”

 

Keith took another shuddering breath, “I—yeah. I guess—I didn’t know…how much that would mean to me.”

 

“Babe…” Lance whispered. He reached up to brush Keith’s fringe from his face, “if I’d have known—“

 

“I know,” Keith slid his hand around the back of Lance’s neck and pulled him in for a kiss, “thank you.”

 

Lance blinked, “for what?”

 

Keith smiled through fresh tears, “for loving me.”

 

Lance’s vision swam. He blinked the tears away to smile back at Keith, “that’s like thanking me for breathing, you know.”

 

“Wha—how?”

 

“I don’t have to think about it, it just happens.”

 

Keith chuckled, and Lance swooped in to steal more kisses before he could make fun of his sappiness. When Keith was thoroughly distracted, Lance eased up and hugged him close again.

 

****

 

“Lance, could I see you in my office for a moment?” Coran asked. It was a slow morning, and Olia was manning the front.

 

Lance had a momentary spike of panic, but buried his trepidation to smile and nod, “of course.” He followed Coran into his office, biting the inside of his cheek when Coran closed the door and sat behind his desk. At his gesture, Lance sat down in front of him, already fidgeting with his fingers.

 

Coran noticed, and smiled. “You’re not in trouble, Lance,” he soothed, “but this is an important matter I need to discuss with you.”

 

Lance couldn’t find his voice, so he simply nodded and sat on his hands.

 

“I’m not sure you were aware, but before Hunk and Shay took over Taste, I was training him to take over for me when I retire,” Coran said.

 

“Uh…” Lance stammered, “um, no. No, I wasn’t aware.”

 

“Well,” Coran leaned back in his chair and tilted his head, “I suppose my first question should be this. Do you intend to pursue a full career here at the Bakery? Or do you have aspirations to move on some day?”

 

“I—“ Lance’s voice cut out, and he shifted in his seat.

 

“There’s no right answer. Take your time, I want you to be fully honest with yourself.”

 

Lance took a deep breath and thought. His eyes traveled around the office, noticing for the first time how simple it was. Everything seemed to have a place, and the only papers out were neatly stacked on Coran’s desk. He had a collection of kitschy figurines, but they were set carefully out of the way and spread around the office. A few photos were hung on the wall: Lance recognized Allura in most of them, as well as a man who he guessed must have been her father. There was one photo, of Allura’s father with a woman in a hospital bed, a tiny baby in her arms. The woman’s hair was as red as Coran’s, while baby Allura and her father both had that striking white hair.

 

The last photo Lance spied was a standing frame, the only one. It was set on top of the filing cabinet, and besides a small silk arrangement it was the only thing there. It was a photo of a younger Coran with another man. His arm was slung around Coran’s shoulder, while Coran was holding his waist with both arms. They were grinning at the camera, confetti fluttering around them and clapping hands blurred around the edges of the photo. Lance wondered who that was, and why he wasn’t here now.

 

“Who is that?” he blurted before he could think, and clapped a hand over his mouth.

 

Coran turned to see where he was looking. “Oh. That’s Blaine. Had times been kinder back then I would have been able to call him husband.”

 

“He’s—“

 

“Gone? Yes. It was about ten years after this photo was taken, our commitment ceremony. Blaine was far more outspoken than I am, and attended protests and rallies where he could. Unfortunately, his last rally ended his life. Someone fired shots at the crowd, trying to scare them off, and Blaine was hit. He died while in surgery to get the bullet out. It had lodged against his artery, and the risks were great either way. He took the risk, and, well—“ Coran cleared his throat, “the shooter was arrested and convicted.”

 

“I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t have asked,” Lance murmured, lowering his head.

 

“Nonsense,” Coran turned back to Lance, “if I didn’t want to talk about him, I wouldn’t have put our photo out.”

 

“So, then…” Lance paused, unsure, but asked anyway, “so was there anyone else? After?”

 

Coran smiled, leaning back to look at the photo again. “No. I tried, a few times, but—well, once you find the right one…at least, for me, everyone else felt…wrong. Blaine was it, and I’m forever grateful for the years we had together. Many of us couldn’t boast the same during those times.” He turned toward Lance again, a knowing smile on his face and asked again, “what lies in your future?”

 

Lance smiled. Keith. Keith was his future, and Keith would work with Shiro forever, so Lance would stay here to be with Keith. “I can’t imagine spending my life anywhere else.”

 

“In that case,” Coran leaned forward, “Hunk had a hunch you’d feel that way, and I’m glad of it as well. I’d like to teach you how to run this Bakery, so you can take over when I’m too old and you have to kick me out for my own good.”

 

Lance chuckled, then choked on his own breath at the realization of Coran’s words. “You want—me?”

 

“You’re a natural, and you have a knack for judging character. You met Olia once, and remembered her from a simple passing of her resume—“

 

“And a delicious sample of her skills.“

 

“—and that, yes. But you felt she’d be a good fit, and you were right. I’d like you to decide who to hire as your replacement, since you’ve taken over Shay’s position, as your first task as Manager-in-training.”

 

“Coran, I—“ Lance shook his head, “I’m—thank you, so much. I hate to admit this but I applied here thinking it would be something temporary to keep me floating until I found a career, or could afford to move on. But you guys became my family. Here, and Voltron, and now Taste…I never thought I’d be content working at a Bakery, but I’ve come to love this place as much as I love all of you and—and my life couldn’t be more right, right here.”

 

Coran opened his mouth, but there was a knock at the door. He cleared his throat while Lance tried to compose himself and said, “come in.”

 

Olia poked her head in, “sorry to interrupt, but I have a frantic mom on the phone. She needs four dozen custom cookies by three. Whoever she originally ordered from flaked on her and she’s hoping we can help her.”

 

Lance looked at Coran, who simply raised his brows and gestured back to him, as if to say ‘it’s up to you’. Lance pursed his lips and looked at Olia, “did she say what she wanted?”

 

“She originally ordered unicorns and rainbows, but is desperate and willing to take anything rainbow colored at this point.”

 

Lance checked his watch, it was only 9:30, and he already had dough chilling for the afternoon, “we’ll be low on cookies here, but I can do it.”

 

“So that’s a yes?”

 

“That’s a yes.”

 

“Great. Thanks, I’ll have the order sheet to you in a minute.”

 

“You got it.”

 

Olia ducked back out, and Lance looked at Coran who was beaming at him, “what?”

 

“That right there is why I want you as my successor,” he said quietly.

 

Lance thought back, wondering what was so special about that decision. Then he realized, it was those kinds of decisions that could make or break the bakery in the long run. As long as he pulled this off, they’d have a new loyal customer, who would bring them more business as a result. “Huh. Wow.”

 

——

 

“Hi, welcome to Altea Bakery, how can I help you?” Lance said to the frazzled looking woman who came up to his counter.

 

“Hi,” she said, a bit breathless. She paused, took a breath, then said, “I’m Susan Jones, I have a cookie order to pick up?”

 

Lance brightened, “yes, Mrs. Jones. One moment, I’ll go get it.” She nodded, and he went into the back to grab the two boxes, then returned to the front. He walked between the cases to set the boxes on a table and opened the top box to show her the cookies. “Perfect timing, I just finished boxing them up five minutes ago.”

 

Mrs. Jones peered into the box and gasped. She’d told Olia that anything rainbow would do, but Lance didn’t feel right not doing what she wanted. So per her original order to whoever flaked on her, there was an assortment of unicorn heads and rainbows, iced with the brightest colors they had. “Oh…” she said, hand pressed to her chest, “oh, they’re beautiful.”

 

Lance smiled while he closed the box and put it aside to open the other, showing her more of the same, “four dozen rainbows and unicorns.”

 

“Oh thank you,” Mrs. Jones said while Lance closed the second box and stacked them again, “thank you so much.”

 

Lance nodded and led her to the register, running the total and taking her payment. He then offered to bring the cookies out to her car, and she gushed her thanks again, leading him to a small SUV where he placed them on the floorboard of the front passenger side. He closed the door, and squeaked in surprise when the woman pulled him into a hug, “um?”

 

She jumped back with a watery smile, “sorry, I just—it’s my daughter’s birthday, and this was all she asked for for the party. I called four other bakeries before you, and none of them would even consider taking it on such short notice.”

 

“I’m glad we could help. I hope your daughter has a wonderful birthday,” Lance replied, and waved as Mrs. Jones got in the SUV and left with a smile on her face, looking much less frazzled than when she came in.

 

“Who was that?”

 

Lance started, and looked around to spy Keith coming out of the coffee shop, “hey! Just a really grateful client. Her original bakery flaked and we did the order last minute for her.” He walked toward Keith, who immediately looked up so Lance could give him a kiss, “I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to do rainbows and unicorns.”

 

“Keep that up and Coran will start grooming you to take over when he’d too old to work,” Keith teased. Lance burst out laughing, leaned back and clutching his stomach. Keith awkwardly patted his shoulder until he got a hold of himself, asking, “what? What’s so funny?”

 

“You’re not gonna believe the conversation I had with Coran this morning,” Lance said once he was able to talk again.

 

“No.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“What’d you say?”

 

“I can’t imagine anywhere else I’d rather be, than right here, working two doors down from you.”

 

“No you didn’t,” Keith accused, though a blush was creeping up his cheeks.

 

Lance nodded, then shrugged, “well, not in those exact words, but…pretty much yeah,” he trailed off, looking a bit sad.

 

Keith looked up at Lance with understanding, “he told you about Blaine.”

 

“Yeah,” Lance looked down at Keith, and couldn’t help but kiss him again, “I better let you get back to work.”

 

“Work. Yeah,” Keith shook himself, gave Lance another kiss, and backed away, “see you.”

 

“Love you.”

 

“Love you.”

 

****

 

Lance leaned back and rubbed his face with a groan. He’d been looking over applications for the Bakery Assistant position Coran asked him to fill, and he could still see the papers swimming in front of him with his eyes closed. With a sigh, he shuffled through the papers again, flicking through the ones he found promising. Coran suggested he settle on five, and then they would conduct interviews together. He was down to eight, and couldn’t decide which three to cut now.

 

As if Lance’s thoughts could summon people, Coran knocked on the door frame and poked his head in, “how’s it coming?”

 

“Ugh,” Lance smiled when Coran chuckled at him, and held up his stack of applications, “I’m down to eight, and I’m stuck. Would you take a look?”

 

Coran moved into the office and took a seat across the desk from Lance. He held out a hand, and Lance handed over the papers. “Do you uh…would you like your seat back?” he asked, tone shy, but Coran waved him off, so he sat, swinging the rolling chair back and forth while he waited for Coran to go over the applications.

 

After only a few minutes, Coran pulled separated four applications from the stack and handed them back to Lance. “Can you tell me why I’m going to reject these?”

 

Lance pursed his lips and spread the papers out to look at all three. At first, he saw the same information that made it difficult for him to whittle down the list of possibles, and started to shake his head, when he noticed a similarity that he completely overlooked. “Oh! Their availability!” Each of the four applications Coran rejected were either unavailable during the actual hours they were open, or wanted Sundays off. “Seriously? Did they even read the instructions? How did I miss this?”

 

“If I can offer some advice,” Coran said before Lance could go off on a tangent, “I typically check availabilities first so I can cross off any that won’t work, then I go through to find a good match.”

 

Lance raised his brows, “that makes sense. Haha, I guess being desperate and saying I’m always available helped me there, huh?”

 

Coran’s eyes twinkled, “your charming personality and previous long-term jobs also helped.”

 

“Aww…Coran. It’s okay, you can just say it — you took pity on me.”

 

“I did have a feeling…” Coran waved away Lance’s surprised expression, “I’m good at reading people. Even so, I wouldn’t have hired you if I didn’t think you’d be a good fit, and look at you now, on your way to being my successor!”

 

Vision a little blurry, Lance sniffed and moved the rejected applications to the side and reached out for the rest, “so, ahem, do you want me to set up the interviews for these?”

 

“If you like, I’ll call the first and you can call the rest. I try to secure appointments within three business days so it’s fresh on our minds. Here, get up,” Coran stood, and moved into his seat when Lance stepped aside. He flipped open a small spiral book and moved to the marked page, “fortunately we’ve got the whole week free, so let’s try for one interview each day. We can choose over the weekend, and then call whoever that will be next Monday.”Coran then flipped through the remaining applications and frowned. “Where are the rest? There was one I thought was a good fit.”

 

“Uh, here,” Lance moved the file folder filled with the remaining applications toward Coran. He watched as Coran flipped through the applications until he pulled one out and showed it to him.

 

“This one. Why did you reject it?” he asked, tone quiet and curious instead of accusatory.

 

Lance took the application and looked it over. The provided information sounded good, and he said, “I dunno…maybe I missed it? Oh…” His eyes flicked up to the name and he flinched, “um, I’ve met this person.”

 

There was a pause, Lance wondering how to tell Coran without sounding like a jerk, while Coran’s eyebrows rose higher and higher until they nearly touched his hairline. Finally, Coran asked, “and?”

 

“Well, uh. I only met her once, but…well, I’m gonna sound like a jerk but she was crazy. I was with Keith and she kept trying to ask me out, wouldn’t take a hint. Oh, and she’s Rolo’s sister, so…”

 

At the mention of Rolo, Coran’s brows lowered to pinch together. He plucked the sheet from Lance’s fingers and turned to slip the application through the paper shredder. “I apologize for questioning your judgement. I didn’t recognize the last name or I would have done that much sooner.”

 

“While I appreciate the sentiment,” Lance said with a smile, “it’s your job to question my judgement, isn’t it?”

 

“To an extent,” Coran chuckled, “alright, let’s get calling.”

 

Lance listened attentively during Coran’s call, mentally noting Coran’s phrasing and how he scheduled the interview. When he finished, Coran gave Lance his chair again and moved back to the other side of the desk. Nervous, Lance fumbled a bit through his first call, but breezed through the other two and beamed over Coran’s proud smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eh...not my best chapter, not my proudest. A lot of it felt a little forced, I hope it didn't show too much.
> 
> As always, thank you, thank you, thank you for reading, giving kudos, and commenting!
> 
> Like what I write? You might like what I reblog on [tumblr](http://krysblack.tumblr.com)


	22. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance hires the new baking assistant, Hunk and Shay have a special celebration, and Keith takes him to the beach!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAPPY BIRTHDAY LANCE!! It's a day early but I finally got this chapter finished and I don't like waiting so, here it is a day early! Though in the story it's still May...
> 
> There's a part where Lance and Narti have a conversation in ASL and you'll notice the 'dialogue' is a little strange. I wrote it that way because I'm a nerd and an interpreter and it's basically the signs written down in the way I would sign them. The actual English is in parenthesis at the end of each paragraph, like I did with the Spanish earlier in the story.
> 
> This chapter is surprisingly surprisingly low in the smut department, but I do think there's a plot in here somewhere, even if it's mostly slice-of-life kinda stuff ^.~
> 
> Also, be prepared for probably too much detail toward the end of the chapter. I geeked out a bit and...well, you'll see.
> 
> <3<3

Once upon a time, Lance believed that going to an interview was the most nerve-wracking thing he’d ever experience.

 

Then he started conducting interviews.

 

“Uuuuugh,” he groaned, flopping forward onto the breakfast bar to thump his forehead against the counter top surface. “Keeeeeith,” he whined, “why is this so _hard_?”

 

Keith finished rinsing off the last dish from dinner, set in in the rack, and walked around the bar while drying his hands to lean against Lance’s chair. He peered down at the papers fanned out beside Lance’s squished face with a raised brow, “dunno, but I’m going to go out on a limb here and say it’s because you don’t want to hurt any of these people’s feelings.”

 

Lance whined again, turning his head over to grace Keith with a half-hearted glare, “have you done this before?”

 

“Nope.”

 

“Well then you’re no help.”

 

“Lance,” Keith sighed and nudged his shoulder, “c’mon, sit up, let me see.”

 

With a huff, Lance pulled himself up to slouch in the chair while Keith slid the three remaining applications toward him. He shuffled through the papers, leaning into Lance, then asked, “I thought there were four?”

 

“Yeah, one bombed the interview.”

 

“What’d they do?”

 

“She showed up ten minutes late because she _had_ to get her Starbucks, refused to speak to Olia, and spent the entire interview, like…surprised at what she would be doing if she got the job.”

 

“What did she expect?”

  
“Apparently, she thought all she had to do was work the register and serve the pastries. Before Coran could lose it I straight up asked her to leave.”

 

“Are you kidding me?”

 

“Wish I was. Her application was the best one, too. I’m thinking she made up a bunch of stuff to look good. Anyway, I’m still going to have to disappoint two people, but which two?” Lance propped his elbows on the counter and dropped his hands to rest between his palms.

 

Keith rubbed between Lance’s shoulders, “is this decision completely up to you?”

 

Lance shook his head, “not this time. Coran’s still the final say, but he wants me to make the decision as if it was up to me, and take that into consideration for whoever he ends up hiring.” He heaved a deep sigh, but leaned into Keith’s touch, “I think he’s going to take my decision and hire whoever I choose though, and I’m freaking out a little bit.”

 

“It looks like whoever you pick is gonna be a good fit,” Keith supplied.

 

“I know,” Lance said, subdued, “and that actually makes this harder. I’ve met these girls, I liked each of them, they’d all do great, so who do I pick?”

 

Keith was quiet for a few moments. When he spoke again, it was hushed and gentle, almost a whisper, “what does your gut tell you?”

 

“I’ve gone past that point and into quadruple guessing myself. I can’t even remember what my initial gut reaction was.”

 

“Okay,” Keith took the papers, stacked them neatly, and turned them face-down, “who are the three applicants?”

 

Lance let out a snort, “Romelle, uh…Candice, and um…Sarah?”

 

“There you go,” Keith pulled Romelle’s application from the stack and laid it in front of Lance.

 

“Wh—how did you do that?”

 

“I’m an unbiased party,” Keith shrugged, “also, that’s how my uncle did most of his hiring.”

 

“Oh,” Lance smiled down at the page. Keith rarely talked about his aunt and uncle, and it warmed Lance inside whenever he opened up like this. He knew, though, not to make a fuss of it. The one time he did, Keith clammed up and went for a three hour run. Lance had been frantic with worry, but learned his lesson and simply apologized when Keith returned.

 

It still took Keith three days after that to open up to him again. It boggled Lance a bit, that Keith was so open about nearly every other aspect of his life, but never wanted to talk about Shiro’s parents outside of the little bits he’d let slip out on occasion. Once, Lance took the opportunity when he was alone with Shiro to ask about it, amidst much stammering and beating around of the bush.

 

 _“It’s still hard for him,”_ Shiro had answered with a sigh _, “I think it’ll always be that way. My parents didn’t try to replace his, but they loved him as their own and Keith just…couldn’t accept it, I guess. He told me once that it just didn’t feel right, to him, to be so close with them.”_

 

Lance shook his head and turned his smile toward Keith, who was so close their lips brushed. Lance giggled and Keith smiled before leaning in for a real kiss, “feel better?”

 

“Thank you,” Lance murmured against Keith’s lips, and was rewarded with another, deeper kiss. Sometimes he imagined these kisses to be gratitude for not making a fuss when he mentioned his family. Keith pressed in for another kiss, but Lance suddenly yawned and he jerked back in surprise. Lance slapped his hand over his mouth and mumbled an apology, but Keith simply shook his head with a chuckle and herded him off the stool.

 

“Come on,” he murmured, pointing Lance in the direction of the bathroom, “go get ready for bed so you can fall asleep half way through the movie.”

 

“I resemble that statement,” Lance muttered, but did as he was told.

 

Ten minutes later, he crawled onto Keith who was laid out across the cushions ready to wrap him in his arms.

 

Twenty minutes later, he was snoring lightly and drooling on Keith’s shirt.

 

****

 

Romelle’s first day reminded Lance of his own, and it was a bittersweet pang in his chest as he showed her the ropes and taught her how to use the register. Unlike his first day, he made sure to tell her all about the ‘Voltron Bakery Run’ and where to keep track of Shiro’s tab.

 

He was helping her fill and rotate the display cases after the morning rush when Keith came in, wind blown and bringing with him a breeze that…

 

“Smells like rain,” Lance said.

 

“Looks like a big storm coming,” Keith replied, pulling down his pony tail and ruffling through his hair in a poor attempt to tame it, “big black clouds are hanging out over the gulf,” he pointed toward the island just over the bridge with his thumb. With a last few passes through his hair, he moved farther into the bakery to stand between the cases and smile at Lance, “hey.”

 

Lance grinned back, “hi. The usual?”

 

“Plus an eclair for Allura.”

 

“Cool. Oh, Keith, this is Romelle. Romelle, Keith.” Lance waved Romelle over and smiled while introducing them to each other.

 

Keith smiled and lifted his hand in a little wave, “hey.”

 

“Hello,” Romelle said with an easy smile, “nice to meet you.”

 

“Yeah, same.”

 

Lance chuckled and handed Romelle a glove, “here. I’ll tell you what to get, and we’ll see if you remember where to find them.”

 

“Okay.”

 

Lance patiently went through the usual pastries, smiling when Romelle found them quickly and grinning when Keith would tap on the glass to help her when she had trouble. “Hey, that’s cheating,” he teased.

 

“I don’t work here, the rules don’t apply to me,” Keith shot back, taking the offered bag after Romelle put the last pastry in. “See you for lunch?”

 

For a moment, Lance internally panicked. He didn’t know Romelle well enough yet to see how she felt about, well…that, and didn’t want to upset her if she wasn’t. After wrestling his anxiety back under control, he shook himself and nodded, “what’d you fix me?”

 

“Chicken Parm,” Keith said with a grin.

 

Lance laughed and leaned toward Romelle. “That’s what I made for dinner last night,” he said, like it was a secret, but loud enough for Keith to hear. Romelle giggled.

 

“Hey!”

 

“What? It’s true!”

 

“But I still put it together and brought it with me,” Keith affected a pout.

 

Lance chuckled, “also true.”

 

Keith looked out the window, grimaced, and waved to Lance and Romelle. “I’m gonna run for it. See you later.”

 

“Later, babe!”

 

“Bye!”

 

Keith waved again, this time fingers shaped in the ‘ily’ for I love you, then ducked through the door and sprinted off to the right.

 

Lance turned to Romelle, mouth open to get them back on task, but the words stuck in his throat at her gentle smile. “What?”

 

Romelle shrugged, “you guys are really cute.”

 

Relieved, Lance heaved a sigh and shook his head, “let’s finish this up, we still need to do a wipe down before the afternoon rush.”

 

****

 

“Are we ready?” Coran asked as he hung up his apron.

 

Olia poked her head in from the propped-open back door, “trunk’s loaded!”

 

“Locked and ready to go!” Lance announced after pushing through from the front.

 

Coran nodded, and they all, plus Romelle, piled into Lance’s car to make the short drive to Toast. Normally they would walk, but with his trunk nearly full of carefully stacked boxes of sweet treats they reasoned a drive would be easier. Lance drove slowly, careful to avoid bumps in the old asphalt, and grinned when he spied Keith standing in the middle of the best parking spot, right beside the front entrance. He returned Keith’s wave, then swung around and backed in. Keith opened his door, and the back door for Romelle. “Thanks babe,” Lance said before sharing a quick kiss with Keith, then made his way to the trunk.

 

Keith helped arrange the boxes on the rolling cart set out for them, and then they made their way up the handicap ramp and into the restaurant.

 

“Oh, wow! Allura really outdid herself,” Lance mused when he saw the colorful decorations and festive lights all around the main floor.

 

Keith shook his head. “Oh, no,” he said, “Narti wouldn’t let her help at all. Decorating this place is her job and she’s very proud of that.”

 

As if summoned from the mention, Narti rounded the corner and waved, motioning the group toward the back of the room. Lance let Olia take over pushing the cart to detour toward Narti with a wave of his own.

 

‘Hi,’ he signed, ‘Keith say you decorate? Wow, beautiful.’ (Hi! Keith said you decorated? It’s beautiful!”

 

Narti grinned, ‘thank-you. A-L-L-U-R-A sort-of mad first, but I want show my skill for wedding party.’ (Thank you. Allura was a little mad at first, but I wanted to show her what I can do for her reception.)

 

‘Wow, impress. She see yet?’ Lance turned when Narti moved to follow the rest toward the back. (Well, I’m impressed. Has she seen it yet?)

 

‘Yes,’ Narti nodded, ‘she love! We will discuss time meet, tell me what she want.’ (Yes, and she loves it! We’re going to work out a time to meet and talk about what she wants me to do.)

 

‘You have someone interpret, talk?’ (Do you have someone that talks for you?)

 

‘Normal Z, sometime A or E.’ (Normally Zethrid does, Acxa and Ezor can too.)

 

Lance nodded, ‘good. If need more backup, I happy help.’ (Good. If you need another back up, I’d be happy to help.)

 

Narti smiled and patted Lance’s shoulder. ‘Thank-you, I remember. K lucky have you.’ (Thanks, I’ll remember that. Keith is lucky to have you.)

 

Lance waved her off with a blush, and Narti didn’t push. She simply patted his shoulder again and wandered off toward the kitchen. He turned toward the tables set up along the back wall, rubbing his warm cheek.

 

“If you’re done,” Olia drawled, “come set out your cookies.”

 

Lance jumped, ducked his head with a grin, and grabbed the first box off the cart. Along the back wall there were two rows of tables set up, draped in lighter shades of the bright spring themed decorations. One set held disposable plates and flatware in the same bright colors at one end, and along the tables were spaces for cakes, trays for pastries, and tiered plates for the cookies. Lance approached the first tiered set and opened the box, revealing a layer of cookies shaped and decorated to look like bright pink Pansies. These he arranged around the bottom tier. The next layer looked like Snowdrops, and these he put on the middle tier. The final layer were round cookies with iced petals to look like purple Iris, which he arranged on the top tier.

 

The first box done, broken down, and set aside, Lance took the second box to the other tiered set at the other end of the tables. Here the bottom tier was filled with Daffodil cookies, the middle with Tulips, and the top with blush pink Roses. When he finished, he helped Romelle set out the assortment of pastries on the available trays, each pastry grouped together and arranged neatly layered over each other.

 

“How many people are coming?” Romelle asked when they were each on their last box.

 

“A lot,” Lance replied, “I think something like twenty? Apparently this is Hunk’s family’s first time coming here, and they’ll be meeting Shay’s family for the first time too.”

 

Romelle whistled, impressed. “All for Shay’s birthday? There must be something more to this.”

 

“It’s her thirtieth, and something about a diamond year? I dunno, but it’s a big to-do, and I’m pretty stoked. This is my first catered party, too.”

 

“Diamond?” Romelle perked up, “like diamond jewelry? That’s the tenth anniversary gift.”

 

Lance frowned, “isn’t that only for wedding anniversaries?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“That can’t be it, then,” Lance shrugged and started to break down his last box.

 

——

 

By the time the desserts were arranged to Coran’s satisfaction, people began to filter in. It appeared that Shay’s family arrived first. They were excited but quiet, reserved, hugging Hunk and Shay tight and offering their congratulations. Some went to the bar to order a drink, others headed to another set of tables arranged with brightly colored cups and pitchers of water and iced tea. They mingled with everyone else present from Voltron, Altea, and Taste, plus Matt, but Lance hung back, content for now to watch and take it all in.

 

A short while later, Hunk bounced on his toes and cried, “they’re here!” If Narti hadn’t been manning the door, he probably would have rushed forward to let his family in. When Narti opened the door to let them in, Shay had to keep Hunk still with a hand on his arm.

 

An old woman entered first, gray hair piled on top of her head. The rest of the family; an older couple, a young man, and two young women, came in behind her but didn’t rush past her despite the excited smiles on their faces.

 

“Lo’u aiga!” Hunk cried, “afio mai!” (My family! Welcome!) He sobered quickly though, and reached his hands out to grasp those of the old woman. She tilted her head up and smiled, and Hunk bent down toward her. They closed their eyes when his forehead touched hers and they together inhaled at the same time. After this, Hunk backed away a little and met the woman’s gaze to say, “Tinamatua, talofa.” (Grandmother, hello)

 

“Hawea, talofa,” the woman said, then moved on to share the same ritual with Shay.

 

“Hawea Ualesi Nanai!” the older man boomed, but let the woman beside him hug Hunk first, then took his hand in a firm shake before pulling him in for a tight hug as well.

 

“Tama, talofa” Hunk wheezed, gasping when the man let him go to follow his wife in greeting and hugging Shay. He then turned to the last three of their group, hugging the two women first, then turning to the man, “Asoese, Arihi, Kiliona, talofa.”

 

“Hawea, talofa,” they said in return and moved over to Shay.

 

When the greetings had all finished, Hunk and Shay mingled with their families, making sure everyone had something to drink.

 

“You ok?”

 

Lance startled and looked to his left, relaxing when he saw it was Keith next to him, and smiling at his worried look, “yeah, I’m just…watching, absorbing. Did you see how Hunk greeted his grandma? At least I think that’s who she is…”

 

Keith shook his head, “I was catching up with Rax, Shay’s brother.”

 

“Oh, well they did this thing where they touched foreheads and breathed in at the same time. It looked…special, almost spiritual.”

 

“Oh, yeah,” Keith nodded, “I don’t remember what it’s called, but it is very special. Hunk and Shay did it at their wedding.”

 

Lance began to nod, then paused, eyes growing wide to gape at Keith. When Keith raised a brow and said ‘what?’ Lance shook himself and frowned, “I didn’t know they were married.”

 

It was Keith’s turn to gape. “What—wait, really?”

 

“Um…yeah?”

 

It looked like Keith was about to tease him for not knowing, but stopped himself to look over at the couple, “well…yeah, unless they tell you it’s hard to know. They don’t wear rings or advertise it like most people do.”

 

“So the whole diamond thing, that’s the ten year anniversary?”

 

“I guess so. But yeah, they’ve been married ten years. It’s why Hunk’s immediate family flew here to celebrate.”

 

“…wow…” Lance breathed, “so…they were, what? Shay would have been twenty, how old is Hunk?”

 

“Same, thirty in January.”

 

“I’ll have to get them to tell me their story sometime.”

 

“You should. It’s a really good one.”

 

Just then, Hunk and Shay moved to one end of the room. Hunk cleared his throat loudly, but the crowd didn’t quiet to his satisfaction, so he nudged Shay’s side. She grinned, put two fingers in her mouth, and gave a short, sharp whistle. It did the trick, everyone quieted down and looked to the couple of the hour.

 

“Hi everyone,” Hunk began, waving shyly with a grin, “thanks for coming on such a special day. Before we let you sample the great food our chefs made and the wonderful desserts from Altea Bakery, there’s an important and ten years overdue introduction we need to make.” He and Shay split up, each to bring up their parents, and Hunk also his grandmother.

 

“Tinamatua, mom, dad,” Shay said, “it is an honor to introduce you to my parents Finn and Simone Balmer,” she held her hand toward first her father, then her mother.

 

“Finn, Simone,” Hunk said, “it is an honor to introduce you to my grandmother Teuila, and my parents La’ei and Tolani Nanai,” he held his hand out to his grandmother, then his mother, and then his father.

 

Teuila was the first to step forward. She reached a hand out to Finn, who gently grasped it in his own. “Finn, talofa,” she said and used her other hand to reach for his cheek. He let her pull him down, and she kissed his cheek, then waited. He kissed her cheek in return, and she smiled, pulling back to move on to Simone.

 

Next came La’ei, Hunk’s mother, with the same ritual, and finally Tolani. When they finished, Teuila turned back toward Finn and said, “Shay is strong and beautiful, inside and out. I am proud to call her granddaughter.”

 

Simone sniffled, and Finn smiled as he replied, “Hunk is a fine young man, honorable and hard working. We are proud to call him son.”

 

“Hunk,” Teuila repeated and looked up at her grandson, “how do you think of such a strange name?”

 

“Ah,” Hunk laughed, nervous, and rubbed the back of his neck, “well, you see…”

 

“I did,” Shay cut in, “people were always mispronouncing his name, and it really bothered him, so I took his initials and…well, came up with Hunk.”

 

Teuila grumbled a bit, but Tolani gently patted her shoulder with a booming laugh, “come, mother, it suits him.” Teuila huffed and rolled her eyes, but when they returned to their seats she was smiling.

 

“Okay!” Hunk called, “well, I won’t make you wait any longer, let’s eat!”

 

Someone from Shay’s family called, “the guests of honor go first!” to which nearly everyone clapped or murmured their agreement.

 

Hunk flushed, but Shay smiled and took his hand to lead him to the food. Once there, the rest of the guests slowly formed a line behind them.

 

The rest of the evening was very low-key. Everyone mixed and mingled, new friends were made, old friends caught up, and everyone made sure Hunk’s family felt welcome and included since they were a small group, and from so far away.

 

Lance and Keith made their own rounds, Keith introducing Lance to Rax, Rax leading them to meet some cousins, and Hunk pulling them to meet his family so he could brag about how Lance took over Shay’s position and how well he was doing.

 

“Shay’s a great teacher,” Lance deflected, but after a nudge from Keith humbly accepted their praise for his beautiful cookies.

 

After making it all the way around the room, Keith tugged a gratefully willing Lance to a corner table to sit down and rest a bit. They didn’t talk, but they didn’t need to, simply enjoying a little ‘alone’ time together among so many people.

 

Eventually, the table they chose ended up hosting Shiro, Allura, Coran, and Romelle. Olia was off somewhere with Matt and her husband, and Pidge decided that helping Acxa was a great excuse to spend time with her.

 

Toward the end of the night things started winding down. Shay’s family began to trickle out first, cousins with younger children leading or carrying their sleepy kids out to wherever they were staying, until only her parents and Rax were left. Hunk’s family showed no signs of tiring or wanting to go, so finally at almost midnight Hunk called an official end to the party.

 

Relieved, Lance followed Coran up to the dessert table to asses the damage. Nearly everything was gone, thank goodness. Lance was tasked with boxing up what was left. Fortunately all the cake plates were empty, so it was an assortment of cookies and about a tray’s worth of pastries that he managed to all fit into one box. Closing the lid, he carried the box over to where Hunk and Shay were saying their goodbyes to Hunk’s family. He hung back, waiting for them to finish.

 

Hunk and Shay were hugged and kissed on the cheek by each member of Hunk’s family, then Shay stepped forward and haltingly said, “Fa’a-soifua ia.” (Goodbye)

 

Teuila smiled and gently cupped Shay’s cheek, “Fa’a-soifua ia.”

 

Hunk repeated the sentiment, they all hugged each other again, then Hunk walked them out.

 

“Here, Shay,” Lance said and set the box on the table beside her, “that’s all the leftover desserts.”

 

Shay turned to smile at Lance, “thanks, Lance.” Lance had a feeling she was thanking him for more than just the box of sweets.

 

Lance hesitated, turned to go, then turned back. “That sounded like a pretty serious goodbye. Didn’t they just get here?”

 

“Yeah,” Shay sighed, “they did. Unfortunately Tolani can’t stay away for very long with his responsibilities to the family and their village, not to mention Teuila’s the family matriarch. We’re just so grateful that they made the trip at all, they’ve been saving up for years to come visit.”

 

“That’s…wow, that’s really cool, but also a bummer.” Lance shifted from one foot to the other, then decided to just go ahead and say it, “I had no idea you guys were married.”

 

That pulled a laugh from Shay, and she playfully punched his shoulder, “I’m sorry, it’s been so long with people who already knew I didn’t think to tell you.”

 

Lance shrugged, “that’s okay, I just looked like an idiot in front of Keith, which isn’t new so…”

 

“Oh, hush you, of course you didn’t.” Shay stopped when Hunk appeared at her side, eyes glistening and rimmed lightly in red. “Oh, honey,” she cooed and pulled him into a hug.

 

“I’m okay,” he said into her shoulder and took a deep, shaky breath before pulling away to smile at her, “I’m okay.” He turned to Lance and smiled even bigger, “Lance, buddy, I can’t thank you enough for those cookies, they were so realistic looking!”

 

“Thanks, big guy,” Lance said, forcing himself to push away the urge to deflect and downplay, because he did work hard on those cookies, dammit! “I’m honored to be a part of all this.”

 

Hunk chuckled and grabbed Lance’s shoulder, “of course you are, you’re family, we wouldn’t want to do this without you,” then pulled him into a hug.

 

Lance laughed, patting Hunk’s back, then hugged Shay when Hunk let him go. “Okay, I better go help clean up.” They all waved, and Lance went back to the dessert table to help Olia and Romelle move dishes and table cloths back to the kitchen, where Zethrid and Ezor were busy washing the serving dishes and Narti was folding linens to put them away.

 

Moving back to the main room, he joined the rest of his group under Acxa’s command to move tables and chairs back to their designated places. After, Pidge and Acxa went over the floors with dust mops, Lance, Keith, Shiro, and Allura wiped down tables and chairs, and Coran and Romelle took the fresh linens Narti brought out to cover the tables. Narti rolled a cart around, resetting the usual condiments, flatware, water glasses, and other things that went on the tables, then allowed Allura to help her take down the decorations and put them away.

 

Finally, _finally_ , the restaurant was reset for the next day, Acxa called it good, and they all left together.

 

Lance gave his crew a ride back to the bakery, except Olia who didn’t have a car there today. She left with her husband. Instead, Keith hitched a ride back to get his car, and then followed Lance back home, where Lance only managed to strip down to his underwear before collapsing into bed and falling asleep.

 

****

 

One bonus to being Coran’s Assistant Manager (ugh, yes, _in training_ ), was Lance’s ability to sync up his days off with Keith’s. He played it cool, and thought he was getting away with it.

 

Coran definitely knew, and started getting Keith’s upcoming days off from Shiro to help coordinate, since Shiro did Voltron’s schedules a month in advance.

 

Lance definitely _didn’t_ know. Neither did Keith. Either way, they were glad for the time to spend together, and made sure to keep up with the chores and shopping on other days so they could focus on whatever they wanted to do.

 

With the weather turning from mostly warm to almost hot, Lance put on his best puppy dog eyes and asked Keith if they could go to the beach. Surprisingly, Keith readily agreed, gave him a run-down of what they’d need (cooler, umbrella, chairs, etc.), and how early he liked to be ready to go (really? 6AM?). Considering Lance’s only trip to the beach was during his family’s one visit to see family in Cuba, he definitely needed the pointers, but was a little surprised at Keith’s knowledge.

 

“Why?” Keith asked, when Lance admitted as much.

 

Lance shrugged, “well, you’re kinda…not tan? And I’ve never heard you talk about going to the beach so…”

 

With a shake of his head, Keith let out an amused huff, “I’ll admit, I don’t go as much as I used to, but,” he spread his hands out with a shrug, “I’m _from_ here, it’s one of those things you just know.”

 

“Huh…good point.”

 

“So you don’t mind grabbing all that this afternoon?”

 

“Nah, I’ve got a short list of stuff we need anyway, but are you gonna be alive that early?”

 

Keith shook his head, “My last appointment is at four. If it stays dead or slow until ten I’m gonna see if Shiro will let me skip out early.”

 

“Oh, nice. Yeah, I’d rather not bring a zombie to the beach,” Lance teased.

 

“Thanks,” Keith panned, but a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth, “you ready?”

 

Lance checked himself, flushing under Keith’s appreciative gaze. He’d taken to dressing up a little more for work with his new position, swapping jeans and solid color shirts for nicer trousers and button down shirts with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. There’d been plenty of nights Keith refused to let him take his shirt off while they had sex because he thought Lance’s forearms were sexy, and Lance had to shake his head to get rid of that mental image. “Ready,” he said, after having to clear his throat.

 

Keith raised a knowing eyebrow, but didn’t comment. “Let’s go.”

 

****

 

Ah…Target. Lance didn’t make the extra drive often, especially considering he spent a significant amount on impulse buys there, but shopping for beach stuff…he didn’t want to settle for Walmart. Also especially because his only pair of swim trunks were something along the lines of seven years old and starting to fall apart, no thanks.

 

So, his first task was to outfit himself for tomorrow. He sifted through an array of disappointing swim trunks, and was about to settle for the least offensive, when he spied a rack nearby advertising ‘hybrid swim shorts’. Here, here were the good ones. He found a nice pair in light grey, with a white, light blue, and darker gray stripe running around just under the waist band. Another short search later, and he found a plain t-shirt in the same light blue, and called it good.

 

While he made his way to the seasonal section, Lance mentally ran through the snacks they had at home, and mentally jotted down some things he thought would be fun ‘beach day’ special treats. He found the chairs Keith described to him, short little folding chairs that were, thankfully, not overpriced, and grabbed one in red and another in blue. When he moved on to the umbrellas, he came to a dilemma. Blue with little palm trees, or blue with artsy hibiscus flowers? He went with the palm trees, and thanked his lucky stars when he saw a box of twist-in sand anchors nearby.

 

Picking a cooler was easy, and after snagging a mesh style beach bag, he was ready to grab snacks and food, as well as the toothpaste, deodorant, and shampoo on his list.

 

He was just about to get in a line to check out when he walked by a display of sun screen in the middle of the main aisle. _Oh, right, sunscreen!_ What kind did Keith use? How strong did it need to be? He had a tattoo now, too, and he remembered that it was very important to protect it from the sun. As Shiro told him before, better to ask than to have to fix later. Lance pulled out his phone and sent Keith a text.

 

**Lancey Lance**

Hey, if you have a minute, I’m at the store and don’t know what kind of sunscreen I’m supposed to get??

 

 

After taking a look around to make sure he wasn’t blocking someone’s path, Lance maneuvered his cart into the middle beside the sun screen display, leaving both sides clear for traffic while he waited for a response. He didn’t have to wait long for Keith’s reply.

 

**Keef**

I’m not super picky, as long as it’s at least SPF 30 and not that spray on shit

 

 

Lance chuckled at Keith’s snark

 

**Lancey Lance**

I’m glad we’re in agreement there. That stuff is TERRIBLE

 

**Keef**

Yeah. Oh, pack snacks, but don’t pack a lunch. The Boardwalk has like six places to eat and they’re all good. I haven’t taken you out in a while anyway

 

**Lancey Lance**

You spoil me

<3

 

**Keef**

You’re worth it

 

**Lancey Lance**

Omg stop, I’m blushing in the middle of Target!

 

**Keef**

Target? Fancy

 

**Lancey Lance**

You’re worth it ;)

 

**Keef**

god dammit

my client is laughing at me, thanks

 

**Lancey Lance**

Love you

 

**Keef**

Love you too

 

 

Okay. SPF 30, no spray. That left Lance with a TON of options. Fortunately, finding the section of topical, mineral sunscreens reduced those options to something much more manageable. He looked over each one, dismissing the sprays and face creams, and picked up a tube he recognized. It was SPF 50, but he liked this brand and it wasn’t too expensive. Tossing one in the cart, he almost walked away, but on a whim decided having a second tube wouldn’t hurt.

 

Now through the line and all set to pay, Lance winced at the total, but reminded himself of what he and Keith had just texted each other. They were worth it, and if they took care of the beach things he got today, they’d last at least a couple of years, if not longer. He wished the cashier a great day, paused on his way out to consider getting a coffee from Starbucks, shook his head, and left.

 

——

 

Lance spent the few hours between dinner and bed getting everything ready for the beach so all they’d have to do was fill the cooler, grab their stuff, and leave. Snacks were prepped, waters and drinks were set aside, the ice in the freezer bin was put in a bag so it would fill up again overnight. Towels and sunscreen went into the beach bag, along with a couple of zip baggies for their phones and his toiletry bag to hide their wallets and such. The umbrella and chairs he’d left in his trunk, unwilling to drag them up just to bring them back down in the morning. His beach clothes he set folded on the dresser, and he dug his flip flops out of his side of the closet to put them by the door.

 

After careful consideration, Lance’s night time routine was extended for a little extra full-body TLC, making sure he was scrubbed down and extra clean, since he knew he’d skip showering in the morning. He was nearly done moisturizing his body when he heard the front door open. A quick tap on his phone told him it was 9:30.

 

“Lance?” he heard through the closed bathroom door.

 

“In here,” he replied, and went back to his task. Score, now he could get Keith to do his back for him.

 

As if summoned, Keith opened the door and stuck his head in. Whatever he was about to say stuck in his throat at the sight of Lance, wearing only briefs and smoothing lotion over his chest and neck. Keith’s eyes widened, then went heavy-lidded and he licked his lips. “Hey,” he rasped, and Lance knew exactly what that sound meant.

 

“Hi,” he replied, “in or out, but shut the door, you’re letting the warm out.”

 

Keith jumped, “right,” and came in, shutting the door by leaning back against it, “that’s a sight to come home to.”

 

Lance raised a brow, lips tugging up into a smirk, “yeah?” He picked up the bottle of lotion he was using and held it out to Keith, “do my back?”

 

Keith hadn’t been idle in those moments, though. His shirt was gone and he was nearly out of his socks and jeans. “Yeah,” he said, kicking his clothes to the side and walking up behind Lance, taking the bottle on his way. He popped the cap, squeezed out more than he thought necessary (though Lance told him it was definitely necessary every time he asked), and set the bottle back on the vanity before rubbing his hands together to warm up the lotion. Once it reached body temperature, Keith smoothed his hands over Lance’s shoulder blades and down to the top of his briefs, while he tucked his nose behind Lance’s ear and breathed deep to exhale on a groan, “fuck, you smell good.”

 

Lance hummed, pressing back into the warm hands sliding over his back, but didn’t tease yet. He wanted Keith to finish his task, first. He watched in the mirror and could see when Keith’s face turned from concentrating to simply admiring, and could feel when his hands changed from working the lotion in to gently caressing the skin and following the muscles underneath. Then he leaned back, turned his head, and met Keith’s mouth for a heated kiss while he reached back to pull Keith’s hips forward, grinding his ass against the half hard cock he found there.

 

Keith’s second groan was deep enough that Lance felt it against his lips and from where his back was pressed to Keith’s chest. Keith’s hands slid around to Lance’s front and down to gently rub over his growing cock. Too soon for Lance’s taste, Keith pulled away and tugged Lance’s hips, “turn around.”

 

When Lance did as asked he blinked, lost for a moment, then looked down where Keith was already kneeling in front of him. “Oh, shit,” he breathed, leaning back against the vanity and spreading his legs for what was obviously about to happen. His hands gripped the edge of the countertop, though they itched to be buried in that soft, wild hair brushing his abdomen and thighs.

 

Warm hands trailed up Lance’s legs, hooked fingers into his waistband, and tugged his briefs down just far enough to tuck under his balls. Then one hand wrapped around his cock to point it where Keith wanted it, and he was enveloped in hot, wet, tight lips and tormenting tongue. Lance let out a loud moan, which turned into a shout when Keith, who wasn’t messing around tonight, took a deep breath and sunk down all the way, taking Lance like it was nothing until his nose pressed into his wiry curls.

 

“A-aah! F-ff-fuck, oh! Oh sshhhit, Keith,” Lance stuttered. Keith swallowed around his cock before drawing back with tight suction, spending a little time teasing around the crown, then sinking down all the way again and again. Lance’s fingers found their way into Keith’s hair, holding on for dear life while his breath stuttered and his legs shook. He vaguely noticed Keith’s shoulder moving, and had a feeling he should recognize the action, but it was lost to him at the moment.

 

It couldn’t have been two minutes yet, and Lance was already tensing and trying to stave off his orgasm. Then Keith moaned, went deep again, and swallowed once, twice, and Lance was gone. He whimpered, teeth digging into his lower lip, and curled over Keith while he swallowed everything Lance gave him, then slowly drew back while sucking gently until his cock slipped out to hang soft and limp.

 

“Oh my…fuck, Keith,” Lance murmured, fingers sliding down through Keith’s hair to cup his cheeks and meet his eyes. Keith looked as satisfied as Lance felt, and he realized the moving shoulder was Keith jerking himself off. Of course it was, Keith could never keep his hands off his cock while sucking Lance off. “You good?”

 

Keith hummed, the sound a little rough, and rasped, “yeah.”

 

“That was a surprise.”

 

“You’re all clean and soft,” Keith cleared his throat, “I didn’t wanna get you dirty again.”

 

Lance giggled, face heating, “is it weird that that’s like…the sweetest, nicest thing ever?”

 

Keith shrugged, grabbing Lance’s forearm with one hand to help lever himself up to standing, the other still inside his boxers. He took the boxers off, wiped his hand, tossed them on his other clothes, and nuzzled his nose under Lance’s jaw, “probably, but it’s you and I knew you’d appreciate that.”

 

“I do,” Lance replied, tugging Keith’s face up to share a kiss. When Keith let out a relieved sigh he chuckled into the kiss, burying his fingers in that mess of dark hair again until Keith pulled away with another sigh, this one content.

 

“I didn’t know if you’d brushed your teeth yet,” he admitted while pulling the shower curtain aside to step in.

 

Lance shook his head with a grin, “for that, I’d brush my teeth again.”

 

Keith groaned and muttered, “down, boy,” and Lance laughed as he tucked himself back into his briefs and turned to the sink to brush his teeth and moisturize his face.

 

****

 

Lance woke up to the gentle beat of Bill Wither’s ‘Lovely Day’ playing softly on his phone, and once again thanked the stars above for when his friend Flora suggested the song their freshman year of high school. Ever since, his mornings consisted of less moaning and groaning and rolling out of bed, and more deep breaths and getting up like…well, Lance figured like a real person.

 

“Mmh…’time is it?” Keith’s rough voice asked beside him, tousled hair and bleary eyes appearing in his peripheral when he shifted up onto an elbow to squint at Lance’s phone.

 

Lance tucked his nose behind Keith’s ear, “five. You can sleep a little longer if you want.”

 

His answer was a tired groan and warm sleepy limbs wrapping around him just as he was about to slide out of bed. “Stay,” Keith murmured, “you’re warm.”

 

“If I stay I’ll fall back asleep,” Lance admonished, but hugged him back for a few extra snuggles anyway.

 

“Great idea,” Keith said into Lance’s shoulder, already dozing off again.

 

Lance’s chuckle jostled Keith, who grumbled at the disturbance. “I’ll wake you up in half an hour, ok?” More grumbling was Keith’s reply, and Lance kissed his cheek before slipping out of bed and heading to the bathroom with his phone, still playing the song.

 

Lance breezed through his morning routine, his phone playing through his ‘get up and go’ playlist quietly, snuck back to the bedroom for his clothes, and got dressed in the living room. He thought about making coffee, but his machine was really loud, and he didn’t want to wake Keith too early (most days Keith is dead to the world at this hour, and Lance can run the machine without bothering him). After checking the time and seeing it was already 5:30, he figured that could be Keith’s wake-up call.

 

Just as he thought, a minute or so after the machine began Keith emerged from the bed room, a bit bleary. His clothes were tucked under one arm, and he was checking his phone with that hand. Lance watched, amused, as he went straight into the bathroom without a single glance his way, then busied himself with making toast and setting out butter and jelly. By the time the toast popped and both coffees were ready, Keith emerged from the bathroom looking much more awake and dressed in his beach wear; black and red shorts and his Voltron Tattoo t-shirt-turned tank top.

 

Lance smiled, sliding an arm around Keith’s waist when he walked up and slumped against him. He leaned down for a kiss then offered Keith his coffee cup which was gently but readily taken, sniffed appreciatively, and sipped with relish and a quiet moan.

 

“Good morning,” Lance said, brushing his hand over Keith’s shoulder as he brought it back around to spread first butter, then raspberry jelly on his toast.

 

Keith hummed, “morning,” and took a few more sips of coffee before loading up his own toast with just blueberry jam. They ate quickly but quietly, finished their coffee, then got busy. They stripped off their shirts to help each other put on the sunscreen, let it soak in while they loaded the cooler, then put them back on to head out the door, beach bag and cooler in tow.

 

“Where’s the rest of the beach stuff?” Keith asked on their way down.

 

Lance nodded toward the parking lot, “in my car.”

 

“Cool. We need to stop by the shop on our way, I need to pick up something.”

 

“Ok.”

 

The cooler and beach bag went in the trunk, Lance and Keith slid into their seats, and they were on their way.

 

“Gosh, fifteen minutes earlier and we could have watched the sunrise on the beach,” Lance murmured, seeing the darkness slowly dissipating over the trees.

 

Keith hummed, pulling his hair back and tying off a pony tail, “we’ll have to see when sunrise is next time.”

 

“Yeah.”

 

Lance spent the short drive watching the sky change colors, while Keith plugged in Lance’s phone and found a fun beach day playlist on Spotify. When Lance pulled up in their shared back space, Coran was just riding up on his bicycle. Keith got out of the car and shared a greeting with him on his way to get in the tattoo shop, and Lance rolled down his window.

 

“Morning, boss!” he called.

 

Coran locked his bike and moved toward Lance’s car, “good morning! Early morning at the beach I see.”

 

“Yeah. Too bad we’re gonna miss the sun rise, I didn’t even think about it until we left.”

 

“It’s a beautiful sight,” Coran said, voice far away, “especially over the water. I highly recommend it, it never gets old.”

 

Lance tilted his head, “how often do you catch the sun rise?”

 

“Ah, nearly every morning, except during winter. I live just past the bridge off this very street. Which beach are you going to?”

 

“The Boardwalk?” Lance answered, voice tilting up into a question, “I’ve never been there.”

 

Coran nodded, “that’s a nice one. Good places to eat, and the Gulfarium is there. During the summer there’s lots of live music and fireworks at night, and fun activities for kids and families during the days, which means it’ll get crowded once school lets out.”

 

Lance grinned, “thanks for the tip.” He jumped then the door to Voltron banged open and let Keith out holding some kind of…large, fancy, wooden…boogie board? He shook himself and looked back up at Coran, “guess that’s my cue.”

 

“Have fun!” Coran said, waving at Keith, then looked back to Lance, “please make sure to avoid getting sun burned.”

 

“We’re already greased up, and have more than enough sun screen, plus an umbrella,” Lance jerked his thumb toward the car’s trunk.

 

“Good. Well, then I’ll see you tomorrow.”

 

“Later, Coran.”

 

“See ya, boss!”

 

Coran went into the bakery. Lance could hear him greet Olia before the door closed. Keith knocked on the trunk and Lance popped it so he could put that board in. When the trunk was closed and Keith was back in the passenger seat, Lance backed out and they were on their way to the Boardwalk.

 

“What’s that board?” Lance asked, making the turn at Taste to get back on the highway.

 

Keith chuckled, “it’s my skimboard. I haven’t used it in a few years, we’ll see if I can still get on it.”

 

Lance nodded, but was definitely lost, “what do you do with it?”

 

“It’s kinda like surfing,” Keith explained, “but on the shore. You…well, ‘skim’ over the sand where the waves break.”

 

“Sounds fun.”

 

“If you’re interested, and I can still do it, I could teach you.”

 

“We’ll see.”

 

The drive was another short one, just over the bridge and another half mile to turn right at the second light where a large sign listed all the shops and restaurants that made up the Boardwalk, and another on the ground advertised the Gulfarium.

 

The parking lot was nearly empty, just four other cars parked toward the far side that led right to the beach. With a questioning look from Lance, Keith nodded and waved toward the same area, and Lance parked between an old Jeep and and an even older Oldsmobile. They got out, unloaded the trunk, split their things between them, and headed out to the beach.

 

“Woah…” Lance had to stop for a moment and take in the view. He’d been too busy when he first got here just over a year ago finding a job, getting a place to stay, finding another job, then another, finally the Bakery, and then working his way to falling head over heels for Keith, to take the time to go to the beach. “It really does look like snow!”

 

Keith chuckled, “yeah, and it gets everywhere, this is your warning.”

 

“Noted,” Lance said absently, moving to follow Keith’s example of taking off his flip flops and then following him onto the sand. They passed the building, the view opening up to the long, wide stretch of crisp, white beach; bare behind the boardwalk to the right, dotted with wooden chairs and umbrellas behind the hotel and resort to the left. The water was a bright, shining…“is the water green?”

 

“It’s not called the Emerald Coast for nothing. Come on, let’s pick a spot and set up, then you can ogle all you like.”

 

“…right…” Lance got moving again, stopping beside Keith when he settled on a spot close to the water.

 

Keith drove the blunt end of his skimboard into the sand, then got to work setting up the umbrella. Lance set up the chairs and arranged the cooler between them. He also stored their wallets and keys in the toiletry bag to hide them in the bottom of the beach bag and bagged their phones to keep the sand out.

 

When he finished, Lance wandered toward the water’s edge to admire the view. Off to the right was a guy in a wet suit body boarding. Farther down, and older couple were taking a stroll, bare feet splashing through the waves breaking along their way. To the left a young woman was jogging along the shore, ponytail whipping back and forth, phone strapped to her arm and connected to her ear buds.

 

Keith joined him a few moments later, stray hairs flying around his face in the breeze, “what do you think?”

 

Lance sighed, “it’s amazing.”

 

“Worth getting up early for?”

 

“Totally.”

 

The jogger passed by, then veered right and slowed down to walk toward the clump of shops and restaurants that made up the Boardwalk, disappearing into the open lower level. The body boarder wiped out hard, and Lance winced while Keith let out a low whistle. The older couple came up to him as he trudged back up to shore, snagging the line hooked to his ankle to drag the body board back in as well. They fussed over him a moment, but he waved them off with a good-natured smile, shook himself, and dove back in the water, so the couple continued their walk in Lance and Keith’s direction.

 

When they were close enough, the woman called out a quite, “good morning.”

 

Surprisingly, it was Keith who answered first. “Good morning ma’am, sir.”

 

“Oh,” the woman giggled, waving Keith off, “such nice manners. His mother raised him right, huh, Pete?”

 

“Sure did,” the man answered, giving each of them a nod.

 

“Nice morning for a date,” the woman added with a happy smile.

 

Pete huffed, “they obviously didn’t bring dates, Helen. Don’t make them feel bad about it.”

 

“Oh, honestly,” Helen rolled her eyes, “sometimes you really are blind.”

 

Keith choked on a laugh, while Lance snickered into his hand.

 

“Your memory is slipping again. I had cataract surgery last year, my vision’s just fine,” came Pete’s reply.

 

Helen shook her head, but winked at Lance and Keith while they did their best to not burst out laughing at Helen’s delight in ribbing her husband. “Whatever you say, dear. Enjoy the beach, boys!”

 

“Have a wonderful day, Miss Helen, Mister Pete,” Lance called as they waved and turned to trudge back up toward the parking lot.

 

Lance managed to hold it in until the couple were half way to the cars, then burst into giggles, which broke Keith’s composure. He laughed, quiet but bright, and leaned into Lance.

 

“I wanna be like Miss Helen when I get old,” Lance said after his giggles died down, “will you be my Mister Pete?”

 

“Hell no!” Keith laughed again, “we can both be Miss Helen. Poor Pete, I wonder if she’s telling him what’s what right now…”

 

“Oh my god…I hope he’s not driving when she does!”

 

That sent them into another round of laughter.

 

When Keith finally managed to get a hold of himself, he pressed a quick kiss to Lance’s lips and backed away. “Wanna laugh while I make an ass of myself trying to skimboard?”

 

“Hell yeah!” Lance answered with a grin.

 

Keith stripped out of his tank top and slid it on the back of the red beach chair, then pulled his skimboard out of the sand, brushed it off, and walked into the surf. He tilted his head, judging something, then moved down a little way toward the body boarder and turned back to face away from him. He adjusted his grip, holding the board at the back and one side, shifted his stance, and waited.

 

A few small waves surged up and retreated, but Keith didn’t move. Then a larger wave broke and spread over the sand, and Keith dug in his toes to push off into a run. He ran almost all the way back to where Lance was standing, then dropped the board and just…ran right onto it. He landed right foot first in the middle of the board, then the left settled toward the back, and he bent his knees just a tiny bit, maintaining his balance while the board skimmed across the wet sand. He was steady for two seconds, three, four, then he wobbled and overcompensated by tilting back. The board kept going, taking his feet out from under him. Keith fell back, sitting hard on the wet sand and tipping back onto his back, while the board flew up and over to tumble into the sand.

 

Lance jolted forward, hands outstretched. Keith gratefully took one to haul himself up. Lance opened his mouth to ask if he was ok, but Keith’s laugh and bright grin were answer enough.

 

“Damn, I did better than I thought I would,” he said and let go to retrieve his board.

 

They spent the next hour like that, Lance eventually replacing his shirt with sunglasses and sitting down to watch Keith try over and over to get the hang of his board again, eventually succeeding after the first fifteen minutes, which included a stop to get his own sunglasses. Keith tried to entice Lance onto the board a few times, but he refused each time, finally admitting to being far more intimidated that he first thought he’d be, but assured Keith he was thoroughly enjoying himself by simply watching.

 

“I mean…have you seen yourself?” he asked with a sly smirk.

 

“Okay, okay,” Keith waved him off, cheeks flushing from more than just the nearly risen sun.

 

During that hour, the body boarder left, sharing a fist-bump with Keith on his way out, and the beach began to see a bit more traffic. Vacationers from the hotel and resort on their left utilized their assigned beach chairs, and then people presumably also on their days off, a couple families with young children, and one or two old men in speedos spread out behind the boardwalk toward and beyond the large fishing pier.

 

Keith continued for a little while longer, when Lance realized he was drawing attention from a group of young women presumably vacationing together, as they came out from the hotel and immediately commandeered the last chairs which were conveniently situated right beside where he and Keith had set up. They were not-so-subtly pointing, murmuring, and giggling, which had Lance snickering into his water bottle. Keith didn’t even notice, until Lance caught his attention and much-more-subtly made him aware. After that, he fell the next three tries and gave up, flustered at the extra unwanted attention. He scowled, rinsed his board, and walked up to their spot, jamming the back end of the board into the sand a few feet behind them.

 

Lance held out a fresh bottle of water, which Keith took with a grateful smile as he slumped into his chair with a sigh. He drank half the bottle in one go, then set it in the cup holder on the lid of the cooler to pull out his hair tie and put it up again, this time in a tiny, messy bun.

 

Lance choked on his water, coughing when Keith merely smirked, and Lance thought he saw him wink, but his polarized lenses made him second guess himself. “You’re evil,” he muttered, but smiled when Keith’s low, heated chuckle reached his ears.

 

“Want a snack?” Keith asked, “I’m hungry.” He opened the cooler and dug around a bit. With an ‘aha!’ he pulled out a KIND bar, then another when Lance’s expectant hand entered his field of vision. “Oh, these are my favorite,” he realized as he tore open the wrapper.

 

Lance smiled in satisfaction, “I know,” and opened his as well.

 

They munched their bars and finished their waters, lounging in the shade of the umbrella. They’d both put their empty bottles back into the cup holders, and the backs of their fingers brushed. As if of the same mind, their hands stayed wrapped around the bottles, fingers pressed together. Lance looked out over the water with a smile.

 

He was disrupted from his zoning out when Keith gently nudged his fingers, getting his attention. He looked over expectantly, took in Keith’s nod toward the giggling girls, and as casually as possible turned back to the water and cut his eyes in their direction.

 

They were so obvious it was nearly laughable. All the girls had taken off their shirts or wraps, some lounged in the shade while others were sunning on towels in front of the chairs, carefully angled to provide an enticing view for Keith, who had leaned over to murmur close to his ear:

 

“Is that for me or you? Should I be jealous?”

 

“Hah,” Lance scoffed, turning back to Keith so his voice wouldn’t have to carry too far, “even if it was for me, a little modesty goes a long way.” There was just something about how…tiny and revealing women’s swim suits had become that made Lance uncomfortable to even look at the women wearing them. He felt like he could see everything, in some cases he _could_ , and it bothered him. He recognized that it came from his very conservative upbringing, and that it went against the newer ideal that empowered women to wear whatever they wanted without shame, but he couldn’t shake it. Then again, he felt the same when he saw men wearing tight, tiny shorts or speedos so…

 

Keith’s hum of agreement pulled Lance out of his head and back to the present. He pursed his lips, looked out toward the waves, and asked, “how cold was the water?”

 

“Fucking freezing. Please tell me you’re not thinking of getting in there.”

 

“Well, I was,” Lance shrugged, “but not anymore. I’d like to when it warms up though.”

 

“Yeah. We’ll have to wait at least until June for that.”

 

“Too bad.”

 

“Hey,” Keith said suddenly, “how easily do you burn?”

 

Lance shrugged, “not very. Should I put more over my tattoo?”

 

“It’s been two hours so, yeah. I need it all over or I’ll be resembling a cooked lobster.”

 

Amused, Lance chuckled as he dug through the bag for the sunscreen. He squeezed a little for himself before tossing the bottle to Keith and carefully rubbed it in over his tattoo, then watched as Keith systematically recovered himself with it. When it seemed he was finished, he looked over at Lance and hesitated, “uh…”

 

“Hm?” Lance grinned, leaning forward to purr, “want me to do your back?”

 

Keith rolled his eyes as he slapped the sunscreen into Lance’s outstretched hand and muttered, “yes.” He turned his back and shifted to sit on the edge of his chair so Lance could reach him.

 

Lance squeezed the lotion into his hand, pleased to find it sun-warmed, rubbed his hands together, and began to spread it over Keith’s back. He noticed when Keith shivered, and knelt closer to crowd against his back and nuzzle behind his ear. Keith’s breath hitched.

 

“God damnit.”

 

The words came from behind them. Lance turned his head just enough to peek over his shoulder, and saw one of the girls gesture toward them before crossing her arms. He turned back to his nuzzling and giggled into Keith’s ear, “guess that’s settled then.”

 

“You did that on purpose,” Keith accused.

 

Lance grinned into Keith’s neck, “gotta stake my claim somehow,” and finished rubbing the sunscreen into his back. “Is our stuff safe if we go for a walk?”

 

Keith nodded. “As long as our valuables are hidden,” he said.

 

“You wanna?”

 

“Yea, sure.”

 

Keith put their trash in the cooler while Lance hid their phones in the bag, and they were off; walking through the surf toward the pier, fingers linked together.

 

“Holy crow you were right, the water _is_ freezing!” Lance exclaimed and moved away from the water. Keith chuckled and moved with him.

 

There were more people now, but it still wasn’t anywhere near crowded. There were a few people brave enough to get in the water, and some others in wet suits were body boarding. The rest were either lounging in the sun, reading books, or helping their kids build sand castles.

 

They walked under the pier and farther, until they reached a fence that ran through where the surf surged farther up, then turned around and headed back.

 

“What’s in there?” Lance asked, pointing at the buildings inside the fenced area.

 

“Uh…” Keith stretched up, as if it could give him a better look, then shrugged, “I think it’s the Gulfarium.”

 

“Coran mentioned that place, and I saw the sign when we pulled in, what is it?”

 

“It’s kinda like a Zoo, but only for marine animals. They have a dolphin show, and there’s sea lions and otters, I think…touch pools for rays and stuff, penguins, sharks, and…I think I heard about a new reptile area? It’s pretty cool.”

 

“It sounds cool. Maybe we can go sometime?”

 

Keith looked over, and Lance knew his face was giving everything away. He wanted to go today, now if preferable. He smiled indulgently and offered, “how about I take you after lunch.”

 

“Really?” Lance turned to Keith and clasped both hands around his, tight.

 

Keith laughed and tugged Lance to keep walking, “yes, really. You’re gonna be like a kid in the candy store, aren’t you?”

 

Lance let go of Keith’s hand and slung his arm around his shoulders instead, “you bet!”

 

The rest of the walk passed by slowly as they meandered back to their spot, weaving toward and then away from the water, pausing to enjoy a particularly strong breeze. Lance’s arm found it’s way down to Keith’s waist, then back to his hand, fingers laced together and gently swinging between them. They returned the few smiles from friendly people, nodded back to a pair of women who were definitely not ‘just friends’ hanging out, and ignored the disapproving stares and the occasional pointed remark from a parent to their child.

 

In all, they managed to spend another hour and a half on their walk. They gratefully slouched into their chairs and Lance immediately dug in the cooler for another set of water bottles and another snack; this time green grapes and small cubes of cheese.

 

“Gouda?”

 

Lance grinned, “of course.”

 

“That’s my favorite.”

 

“I know.”

 

They sipped water and munched on grapes and cheese, fingers frequently brushing and tangling over the shared bags as they relaxed and watched the waves, enjoying the sun for a bit, then had to shuffle their things around to get back under the umbrella’s shade. They spent the rest of their morning just like that- lounging, relaxing, and occasionally chatting about whatever came to mind. The girls next to them had left sometime during their walk, and a middle aged couple had taken their place, laid out with colorful drinks sweating in their hands.

 

Around ten thirty, and by unspoken agreement, they began packing up. Keith gathered the trash, crushing the water bottles and shoving it all in the larger bag the grapes had been in while Lance shook sand off their bag and folded up the chairs. The umbrella came down next, and they divvied up their things like before and trekked back to the parking lot. The trash was tossed in the first available can, flip flops were donned to head to the car, and Lance popped the trunk. Phones, wallets, and keys were pulled out of the bag before everything was loaded back up and locked away.

 

“Wanna check out some of the shops before we eat?” Keith asked, leading Lance toward the main entrance under the covered drop off lane.

 

“Sure.”

 

They wandered briefly through a couple overpriced ‘island’ beach apparel stores, then found a kite store that, while still overpriced was much more fun to look around. The astounding variety and styles of kites kept them there for a while, slowly wandering around pointing out strange or interesting designs. Finally their stomachs complained loud enough to get them out of there, and Keith led Lance upstairs to the Crab Trap. At Keith’s request, they were seated out on the patio by the railing overlooking the beach.

 

The place was laid back and comfortable, and their lunch was even more so. Lance chose a cajun style red fish entree, while Keith picked a crab trio dish.

 

“You like crab?” Lance asked after they ordered.

 

Keith nodded after setting his drink back down. “Yeah. You?”

 

Lance shrugged, “never tried it.”

 

“Do you want to?”

 

“Sure, I guess, I just…don’t wanna order something that expensive and end up not liking it.”

 

“No,” Keith shook his head with a smile, “you can try some of mine, if you want. They’re good here, but there’s a place closer to the bridge that makes the best steamed crab.”

 

“If I like it, maybe we can go sometime?” Lance offered.

 

Keith’s smile dropped a bit, then returned warmer. “Sure, but we’ll have to save that for a special occasion.”

 

“Oh, is it fancy?” Lance waggled his eyebrows.

 

“A little,” Keith admitted.

 

“Oooh,” Lance caught on, “it’s expensive.”

 

Keith chuckled. “Yeah, but it’s worth it,” he said, then added, “you’re worth it.”

 

Lance felt his face heat and squirmed, ducked his head, and took a few long pulls of his sweet tea. When Keith chuckled again, he looked up at his pleased smile and smiled back.

 

Lance thought his red fish was delicious, but agreed that Keith’s crab was also very, very good.

 

After lunch, Keith suggested they drive over to the Gulfarium, considering it was clear on the other side of the gigantic parking lot and it wasn’t so busy they risked not finding a spot.

 

They went in, Keith keeping a hold of Lance’s sleeve to stop him from wandering into the gift shop, and approached the ticket counter. Two tickets and a friendly smile, and they entered into a curved corridor. The inner wall was dotted with small, round windows that reminded Lance of portholes. He approached one that was at his eye level and looked through.

 

On the other side was water. Lance could tell that the corridor went all the way around. Was this an enclosure? A large dark shape passed by and he jerked back, then moved closer to get a better look. It passed by again, and Lance gasped, “dolphin!” Another swam by, and his brain finally caught up with his eyes, “there’s three of them!”

 

“Upstairs is the dolphin show,” Keith supplied from behind him, “but that’s not until two o’clock.”

 

“Oh.”

 

“There’s another show and a bunch of little informational lectures they call ‘Chats’ though. Here,” Keith held a brochure up to Lance’s peripheral vision on his left. He backed away from the port hole and turned toward Keith, taking the brochure from him to read over all the different things available at the park. There was a map on the other side.

 

He bit his lip when he looked up at Keith, and grinned when he let out an exasperated sigh. “You want to do all of it,” Keith said. It wasn’t even a question.

 

“Can we?”

 

Keith sighed, pointing to where he’d circled specific times on each event, and numbered them in chronological order, “yes. The Seal Chat starts in ten minutes.”

 

“Where is that?”

 

Keith turned over the map and pointed to a spot closer at the top, close to the fence by the beach, “there. And we’re here,” he pointed to the bottom of the ring depicting jumping dolphins, “it’s not far, let’s go.”

 

They followed the curved corridor, passing a small area with another large aquarium plus a few smaller in the walls leading to it. Lance paused, but Keith nudged him along, “we’ll come back to that.”

 

“Okay.”

 

They made it out of the corridor and back outside. Most of the area was covered, providing lots of shade. Keith pointed toward a pool practically right in front of them surrounded by picnic tables. He could see a few people milling about, a couple of families, some older couples, but the placed looked pretty empty. Thank goodness for weekday days off.

 

Lance listened with rapt attention during the chat, which included actual seals. The few times he looked over at Keith, he seemed to be only half listening and was watching Lance more than the seals. Lance blushed.

 

Up next was the Sea Lion Show, which was at the other end of the park, where the concrete enclosures abruptly changed to look like a long, wooden pier.

 

“This is the new area. The sea lion show used to be where the seal chat was,” Keith said as they turned toward where the show was held and went up the stairs to find seats. “Want to sit up front?”

 

“Yeah.” They found seats at the front, but toward the left where Lance noticed a door by the risers and he guessed that’s where one of handlers would be standing and talking. It wasn’t a long wait for the show to start, as they had wandered slowly on their way over, unconcerned with getting good seats with how few people there were here. Sure enough, only about a quarter of the space was filled, people scattered all over the risers.

 

Then two people came out on the other side of the water, leading out two sea lions, and a woman came through the door close beside them. Lance at first was busy watching the sea lions, but looked up when the woman began to speak.

 

“Hi! And welcome to the Sea Lion Show here at the Gulfarium Marine Adventure Park! Let’s begin by introducing the stars of this show…”

 

Lance’s jaw dropped. It was, “Flora?”

 

“What?” Keith asked beside him.

 

Lance turned to Keith and grinned wide, “that’s Flora, she was my best friend back in Orlando. I had no idea she lived here!” Keith’s return smile seemed strained, and Lance frowned, “what is it?”

 

“Is she…does she know…about you?” he asked quietly.

 

“Know about—oh! Yeah, she knew before I did,” Lance chuckled.

 

“Psst!”

 

Lance looked up and around, noticing then that Flora had stopped talking in favor of letting the audience watch what the Sea Lions were doing. He looked up, and he saw her staring right at him, hand covering the microphone hooked over her ear to rest against her cheek. She waved excitedly, and Lance waved back with a grin. She waggled her brows twice, grinned, and let go of the microphone to continue describing how the sea lions were trained and what they would be doing next.

 

Keith settled, and Lance rested his forearms on his knees to watch the show.

 

——

 

After the show, Flora pointed to the exit closest to them, tapped her watch, and held two fingers up while mouthing ‘two minutes’. Lance turned to Keith, who shrugged, so he looked back and nodded with a grin. She disappeared behind the fence with a return nod, and Lance and Keith made their way down to the side entry way. Under the bleachers, between the two exits was a little hallway housing exotic birds.

 

Lance wandered in and Keith soon followed, smiling indulgently while Lance cooed at the different birds, and that’s where Flora found them when she came back.

 

“Lance,” she said, gaining the attention of both men.

 

Lance rushed to her with a bright grin. “Flora!” he exclaimed, ducking under her outstretched arms to wrap his own around her middle, squeezing tight and lifting her a little to spin around in a circle, causing her to squeal.

 

“Woah…” she shook her head when he set her back down, then held him at arm’s length to appraise him, “what are you doing here? I mean, I’m excited to see you again but—“

 

“Yeah,” Lance cut in, “I know. But first,” he turned and beckoned Keith closer, taking his hand when he came up and put on a small smile, “Flora, this is my boyfriend, Keith. Keith, this is Florona, my best friend and secret keeper.”

 

Keith gave Lance a puzzled look at that, but turned back to take the hand Flora held out for him to shake, “nice to meet you.”

 

“Likewise. Hey, don’t you run Voltron Tattoo?” she asked.

 

Keith shook his head, “nah, that’s my cousin Shiro.”

 

Flora hummed, “oh yeah. He did this one,” she flipped her hand over to show off the inside of her wrist, where she had stylized waves framed in a circle with a deep blue band.

 

“Nice,” Keith murmured, “small world.”

 

“Right?” Flora smiled, then turned back to Lance, “I can’t believe you’re here! I haven’t seen you since we graduated high school.”

 

“Yeah, it’s been a long time. I’m guessing you made good on your plan to get a degree in Marine Biology?”

 

“I did, and then I came here. I’m one of the Marine Animal Supervisors, which means I help take care of and train the animals here.”

 

“That’s great!” Lance grinned, “you’re in your element, huh?”

 

Flora laughed, “I am. So what about you? How’d you end up here?”

 

“Well…” Lance hedged, scratching the back of his head, “that’s a long story, and I don’t want to take up your whole break.”

“So give me the short version,” she pushed, “bullet points.”

 

Lance pursed his lips, his grip on Keith’s hand tightening to the point that he intervened, “you don’t have to…”

 

“I know,” Lance sent Keith a grateful smile, “I want to, I’m just figuring out what to say.”

 

“Okay,” Keith murmured, smiling back.

 

Lance turned back to Flora, flushing at her knowing look and said, “so. The short version. Becca found out, outed me to my parents, and they kicked me out. I ended up here when I ran out of gas money, got a few jobs, found a place to stay. I wound up getting a job at Altea Bakery, and they…kind of adopted me? Them and the guys at Voltron. That’s how I met Keith and…um, well we live together now. Oh, and my parents are coming around.”

 

Flora’s face went through a myriad of emotions, shock, anger, sympathy, surprise, happiness, and joy. When Lance finished, she took a deep breath, let it out, and said, “wow. Yeah, I need to hear this whole story. You have your phone on you? Mine’s with my stuff.”

 

“Oh, yea, sure.” Lance pulled his phone out, unlocked it, and gave it to Flora. While she typed he leaned into Keith a little, who pressed back.

 

She finished and handed the phone back with a smile, “thanks. I do have to get back though, get ready for the dolphin show, are you gonna see it?”

 

“That’s the plan,” Lance said while he pocketed his phone again, then reached out to take Flora’s hand, “I’m really glad to see you.”

 

“Me too.” She gave him another quick hug, did the same for Keith, then waved and hurried off.

 

“That’s so crazy,” Lance murmured.

 

Keith hummed and checked the time on his phone, “we’re missing the next chat, but the dolphin show is next.”

 

They headed back to the main building, into the corridor around the dolphin enclosure, then climbed the stairs leading up above the tank. The walkway led all the way around like below, and the riser seats for the show were set up at the front of the building by the parking lot.

 

This was definitely the main attraction, and it seemed like everyone visiting the Gulfarium were making their way up and finding seats for the show. Lance decided to forego the seating in favor of leaning on the rail by the floating platform, and Keith settled beside him.

 

Flora was there, but this time another trainer named Rachel had the microphone. Lance watched, a thoughtful smile on his face. Keith nudged him.

 

“Hm?” he nudged Keith back.

 

“So did you guys ever—um…”

 

“What?” Lance turned to Keith for a moment, saw his uncomfortable expression and raised a brow, “date?” At Keith’s nod, he smiled and leaned into him. “No. We grew up together. She lived next door, and the only time we weren’t joined at the hip was when we were sleeping, or in different classes in school. She’s like a sister. We shared everything. When Mamá had the twins we grew even closer and I used to call her _my_ twin.”

 

“How come you haven’t seen her in so long?”

 

“Well…you remember I told you she knew I was Bi before I did?” Lance asked, and Keith nodded, “her family was a lot more, um…open? I guess? She has some distant relatives and cousins who are…not straight. My parents didn’t know, until she left for college and became active as an Ally, and they saw some of her activism posts on my Facebook feed.” Keith sent him a strange look and he shrugged with a self-deprecating grin. “Yeah, Papá kept tabs on my social media too. Anyway, you can probably see where this is going. They told me to block her and drop all contact with her. I did what they could track, and with both of us busy with school we were already barely speaking to each other. Then I dropped out, and her program got more intense and…yeah, eight years later and we haven’t seen each other at all.”

 

“I’m glad you ran into each other.”

 

“Me too.”

 

——

 

After the dolphin show, Keith and Lance explored more of the Gulfarium, went to the rest of the little chats, of which the otter chat was Lance’s favorite, and bought overpriced snacks between the last two chats of the day. Flora gave the last chat, which was the reptile chat, and walked with them on their way back out which was conveniently located through the gift shop, stopping to hug both of them again before separating just outside the doors.

 

Despite complaining about the obvious marketing of overpriced toys and trinkets, a brief walk through showed an impressive assortment of more sophisticated gifts and decor. Lance found a little wooden plaque, painted turquoise with words in the negative space ‘Sandy Toes and Salty Kisses’, and Keith picked up a small wooden dolphin figurine set on a piece of white imitation coral.

 

Purchases made and safely packaged, they headed to Lance’s car and were soon back on the highway, headed home.

 

Arriving at their building Lance parked, they unloaded, got their things up to their apartment, and put everything away before sharing a lazy, sleepy shower. Then clean and comfy they settled on the couch, Lance laying on Keith, to watch a movie.

 

Lance fell asleep before it even started.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow...22 chapters! Honestly sometimes I can't wrap my head around the fact that you're all still reading my story. Some of you have even commented that you're reading this more than once! I'm honored, really.
> 
> Thank you, thank you, for all the love and support. Hits, Kudos, Comments...thank you. I get an email every day telling me Downtown Bakery has more kudos, and it warms my heart, makes me smile.
> 
> If you like, come see me on [tumblr](http://krysblack.tumblr.com)


	23. Chapter 23

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lots of things are happening! Summer is here, and that means business is booming! There's a setback, a 4th of July party, Keith's 'special' plans, and a wedding! Oh, and a tragedy.
> 
> Please heed the new archive warning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally! Right?
> 
> I finally got back into a writing groove, and just in time!
> 
> You'll notice in my time breaks that there are some numbers in parenthesis, like this: (1). I'm going to link you to [What a Year It's Been](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15819312), my VLD NSFW Week series, as the first half of it fits into this chapter. Go ahead and open it in a new tab now if you want to read in order. Each number indicates the corresponding chapter number. Even if you've read it, they're short and it'd be good to refresh because most of the scenes immediately following are of the morning after those scenes.
> 
> Now:
> 
> Again, please heed the new archive warning!
> 
> Follow the link to more notes at the end for spoilers, if you need to see them first.
> 
> Agh! Guys I'm so so sorry. This just...came out, and I couldn't shake it.

Soon after their beach date, summer hit and Downtown hit a record high in business, at least, in Lance’s book. This simply made him all the more grateful that they’d taken the opportunity tospend a full day together, because now their shared days off were mostly spent sleeping in as late as Lance’s body let him, and being generally lazy to recoup.

 

May slid into June, and the heat and humidity turned up to sweltering. On the morning of the 19th, which was later marked the hottest day of the month and the second hottest day of the year, Pidge and Keith came into Altea together.

 

“Sweet, sweet relief,” Pidge groaned when they pushed through the door. After a quick look around to check for other customers and seeing none, they moved to the side and sprawled out on the floor. Lance and Romelle, taking inventory to restock for the afternoon, laughed at their dramatics. They even raised the bottom hem of their shirt and flapped it up and down for good measure.

 

Keith on the other hand, dressed more appropriately and fortunate to not have to wear a binder, just pulled his hair into a higher ponytail and made his way to the display cases.

 

“What’s up?” Lance asked, resting his elbow on the top of the case, “the usual for today?”

 

Keith shrugged, “I guess? The A/C is out at the shop, it’s an oven in there.”

 

Lance’s eyes grew wide at the news, then looked back toward Pidge. “That explains that,” he said, gesturing toward them before he moved off to get their pastries, “will Shiro be here soon, too?”

 

“Yeah, he’s calling someone to come check it out.” Keith swiped his brow, grimacing when it came away wet, wiping the back of his hand on his pants leg. “Ugh. Do you have cold water? I think Pidge is already dehydrated, and I’m half way there.”

 

Lance handed Keith their pastries on the little disposable plates for customers who stayed to eat, “yeah, I’ll be right back.”

 

“Thanks, babe.”

 

“Of course.” Lance smiled, his grin growing when Romelle took the clip board from his hands with an eye roll, and moved into the kitchen.

 

“What’s the commotion?” Olia asked, pausing her measuring as Lance walked by.

 

“The A/C is out at Voltron,” he said before slipping into the cooler. He grabbed two water bottles, then four more for good measure. When he left the cooler, Coran was coming out of his office as well.

 

“Did I hear you say Voltron doesn’t have cold air?” he asked.

 

“Yeah. Keith and Pidge are here, Shiro’s trying to get a guy to come out.”

 

“That’s quite unfortunate,” Coran hummed, “well, be sure they know they’re welcome to stay here as long as they need, though I’m sure they already know.”

 

Coran went back into his office as Lance shook his head, shouldering his way back to the front of the store. He walked over to where Keith sat down. He saw that Pidge had gotten off the floor to sit beside him, and Shiro was now there as well. He sat two bottles in front of each of them, leaning down to get a kiss from Keith before going back to his task.

 

As he and Romelle counted, he kept half an ear open to know what the verdict was for Voltron.

 

“—they’re sending a technician out now, they should be here in about thirty minutes. The lady on the phone sounded doubtful they could do much to fix it from my description of what was going on when I got there, though. Looks like we’ll need a new unit.”

 

“The one there now is original to the building, right?” Keith asked, and Shiro nodded, “well, it was only a matter of time, then.”

 

“Yeah,” Shiro sighed, leaning back in his chair as he opened his bottle of water with a _crack_ , “it would have been nice if it’d gone out earlier in the spring, or later in September or November though.”

 

“Murphy’s Law,” Pidge muttered, “shit always happens at the most inconvenient times. So what do we do until it’s fixed?”

 

“We’re penciled in to get it replaced on Friday if that’s what needs to happen. We can’t operate until then, so we’re going to have to reschedule everything up to Saturday. Sorry, guys.” Shiro scratched through the longer hair on top of his head, then rubbed the back of his neck.

 

Pidge shrugged. “I’ve been needing a vacation anyway,” they said, waving a dismissive hand.

 

“And I’ve been meaning to get my bike from your place. I’m sure it needs some work before I can really ride it again,” Keith added.

 

Shiro sighed, “well, we’ve got plenty of time, I guess. I can help you.”

 

“Thanks.”

 

They lapsed into quiet after that, nibbling their pastries and enjoying the cold water. Lance shared a smile with Keith before following Romelle into the kitchen to put together what they needed to restock the display cases.

 

——

 

“Any word?” Lance asked when he came out later to check on Keith. Pidge left after finishing their pastry, not interested in waiting around for confirmation that they’d be closed all week, and Shiro was over at Voltron with the technician.

 

“Not yet, oh—“ Keith jumped and pulled out his phone, “hah, yeah. It’s toast. Shiro says the guy was surprised it’d lasted this long. We’re closed ‘till Saturday.”

 

Lance sat down next to Keith, “bummer.”

 

Keith slumped sideways into Lance’s shoulder, “nah. My old apartment didn’t have enough space for me to keep my bike, but now I do. It needs some work, too. And it’ll keep Shiro busy so he’s not fretting over not being able to pay us for the week.”

 

“I heard you say that,” Lance nuzzled his cheek onto the top of Keith’s head, “I didn’t know you had a bike. I’m assuming you mean a motorcycle?”

 

“Yeah,” Keith chuckled, “it’s not as nice as Shiro’s, since it’s a lot older, but I love it.” He took a deep breath, “Shiro’s dad helped me fix it up when I bought it. It was a rusted out piece of shit, but I got it for free and the garage had enough spare parts that I was able to get most of it done without sinking a bunch of cash into it.”

 

“Is it red?” Lance asked cheekily.

 

Keith’s shoulders shook with a chuckle, “how’d you guess?”

 

Lance hummed, “I had a hunch.” He pressed one more kiss to the crown of Keith’s head, then nudged his side so he could stand up. “What are you gonna do for the rest of the day?” he asked.

 

“The grocery list is on the fridge, right?” Keith replied, standing as well. When Lance nodded, he mimicked the action, “I’ll go ahead and knock that out. Can I go out the back?”

 

“Yeah, sure.” Lance led the way to the back and through the kitchen, pausing just long enough to say goodbye to Olia and Coran. Romelle was off on her break. They broke out into the oppressive summer heat, and Lance immediately regretted following Keith through the door. He could feel sweat starting to form under his hair and at the small of his back, “ugh.”

 

“Isn’t it more hot and humid in Orlando?” Keith teased, looking…not quite cool, but much less uncomfortable in his ripped tank and board shorts. He was even wearing flip flops, but Lance knew his sneakers were in the backpack slung over his shoulder, along with the hoodie Allura gave him for Christmas.

 

“Yeah, still doesn’t mean I’m used to it.”

 

“True.”

 

Lance hooked his finger in the side of Keith’s tank top, grinning when Keith immediately moved into his space. Their kiss was light and chaste, both loathe to get any more heated than they already were. When Keith pulled away, he smirked and swiped away a drop of sweat that was working it’s way down the side of Lance’s face. “Go back inside before you melt.”

 

“Yeah, yeah, okay,” Lance huffed with a grin, “see you later.”

 

“Yeah. Love you.”

 

“Love you.”

 

****

 

Not only did Keith and Shiro do a tune up on Keith’s bike, they cleaned out Shiro’s garage and marked off over half of his ‘honey do’ list around the house.

 

In the afternoons Keith came home shortly before Lance. They worked together on their own chores, and then - after much begging from Lance, along with a thank you blow job - Keith took Lance down to the parking lot to start teaching him how to ride a motorcycle.

 

He surprisingly took to it extremely well, and was soon making laps around the back lot all on his own.

 

“You’ll still need to take the class to get your license,” Keith reminded him when Lance showed him a Craigslist ad for an older bike in a bright, striking blue.

 

“I know, but this one looks like a great deal, and it’d look super cool next to yours, especially since it’s a Kawasaki, too,” Lance replied, spurring Keith to take a closer look.

 

He took Lance’s phone from his hand to swipe through the available pictures with a thoughtful hum. “It seems to be in good shape, and it’s at a good price point,” he murmured, “we can take a look at it, if you want.”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Sure. It’s a good place to start, if any. But we also need to see when the college has their classes.” Keith opened a new page on Lance’s phone and typed in the address to the local State College, expertly navigating to find the right PDF schedule for classes. “You can enroll at the Fort Walton campus, but classes are in Niceville.”

 

“Is there anywhere closer?” Lance asked, shuffling closer to watch what Keith was doing.

 

Keith made a face and nodded, “yeah, the Harley Davidson holds classes occasionally, but they’re, like, a hundred fifty more, and make you ride their Harleys so…”

 

“Yeah, I’ll take Niceville,” Lance agreed with a chuckle, “when’s the next class?”

 

Keith tilted the phone in his direction, “this weekend, then next month, second and fourth weekends.”

 

Lance pressed close to Keith’s side as he took the phone back to read over the information, swapping between pages to get a good overview of what he’d need to get and do, then went back to the craigslist ad. He gave Keith a pleadingly hopeful look, a small smile pulling up the corners of his lips at Keith’s fond yet exasperated look.

 

“Yeah, okay, I’ll call for you,” Keith said with a put-upon air, pulling out his own phone to type in the number while Lance snuggled closer to wait as he made the call.

 

——

 

Lance didn’t think they’d be coming home with a bike _that same day_ , but they did. He was glad Keith insisted they take a car instead of giving in to Lance’s begging to take his motorcycle.

 

_‘If we get this one, I’m going to need to ride it home, babe,’_ Keith had reminded him, and though Lance scoffed at the likelihood they’d actually get the first bike he showed him, he had to eat his mental words when he ran to to nearest bank to secure a cashier’s check.

 

So now, Keith’s shiny red bike had a shiny blue friend to share its parking space.

 

Since Lance already had this Saturday off, and Sunday they were closing for the Bakery to have their floors professionally deep cleaned and resealed, right after bringing the bike home they rushed off to the college campus to get him into that weekend’s class. Then Keith took him to get the rest of what he’d need for the class; gloves and glasses, and though it wasn’t required for the class, they went ahead and picked out a helmet while they were there.

 

When Keith found out Lance didn’t have the right kind of footwear, he told him to be ready for a trip to Destin the next day.

 

“Wow,” Lance sighed when he flopped on the couch as soon as they got back home, “I didn’t realize getting a motorcycle would include so many extra expenses.”

 

Keith dropped next to him with a huff, “it’s a pain, but fortunately they’re not something you’ll have to pay for again for a while.”

 

A large yawn made Lance’s jaw audibly pop, and he slumped sideways into Keith’s side, “that’s good.” He grinned when Keith’s chuckle jostled him a bit, and snuggled closer when he tried to gently push him off and get up.

 

“C’mon, lemme make you dinner for once,” Keith wheedled.

 

Lance immediately let go, but didn’t let Keith get up without a kiss first, “you spoil me.”

 

Keith grinned, and murmured what was quickly becoming another way for them to say ‘I love you’, “you’re worth it.”

 

****

 

Once Voltron was up and running again, things were just about back to normal, which meant even busier than before as Shiro, Pidge, and Keith did their best to squeeze the clients from their closed week back in between those already scheduled in the following weeks.

 

Lance and Romelle took alternating days during that time to help out, giving Pidge time to work on clients while they manned the desk from Altea’s closing until anywhere between nine and ten thirty, depending on how busy Voltron was that night.

 

On Acxa’s occasional nights off, she was also there helping out where she could and stealing moments with Pidge whenever they could.

 

It took a fully packed three weeks to fit all the rescheduled clients in, including some from the following weeks who were willing to reschedule to make room for some who were originally displaced.

 

Needless to say, there were no walk-ins those entire three weeks.

 

Despite the craziness, Shiro and Allura still hosted their 4th of July Bar-Be-Que dinner. Everyone made time to come. Voltron was closed, and Hunk made the decision to give everyone at Toast the night off as well, unwilling to break tradition and miss time spent with friends who were more than family.

 

It was the first for both Lance and Acxa, though it was Acxa’s first ever big gathering with everyone, and Lance made sure to spare a few moments here and there to give her an encouraging smile or exchange a few words.

 

“How are you not overwhelmed?” she asked the third time he’d passed by her as they mingled between the back patio, kitchen, and living room.

 

“I was lucky to be eased into it,” Lance admitted, “Thanksgiving was less party and more quiet dinner so it wasn’t nearly as loud as this.” He knew by her understanding look that the music, while not too loud, thrumming in the background charged the atmosphere with an energy not usually felt at the house.

 

Acxa winced, “is it quieter outside?”

 

Lance nodded, “it is. Want me to find Pidge and send them out back to you?”

 

“If you don’t mind, I think they went to the restroom.”

 

With a gentle pat on her forearm, Lance smile and led her to the back door, then turned back into the house in search of her partner. Sure enough, Pidge was caught in a conversation with Coran just outside the hallway leading down to the bedrooms and bathrooms. He slid up to their side to rest his arm on their shoulder, effectively stopping them mid-sentence.

 

They tilted their head to shoot a mild glare up at Lance. “Excuse me,” they said to Coran, who simply chuckled and waved as he went off to find someone else to talk to, then looked back at Lance, “care to tell me why you so rudely interrupted me?”

 

Lance grinned and leaned closer to their ear so he wouldn’t have to yell. “Normally I’d be falling over myself to apologize, but I feel like you’ll appreciate my interruption when I tell you that Acxa is outside feeling a bit overwhelmed and overstimulated, and could use her partner’s help,” he said, his normal speaking voice drowned out to others around them but clearly heard by Pidge.

 

They snapped immediately to attention and simply patted Lance’s arm as they made a straight line to the back door.

 

“Hey,” came a voice into his ear, causing Lance to jump before he turned to see Keith’s amused face, “what’d you say to scare them off like that?”

 

“Oh, ha. Ha,” Lance retorted, crossing his arms, “I told them Acxa needed them outside. She’s a little overwhelmed.”

 

Keith’s teasing smirk fell. “Oh,” he muttered, then nodded, “yeah, I can understand that. This party is a lot, even for me sometimes.”

 

“Speaking of outside,” Lance leaned in close, “aren’t fireworks starting soon?”

 

“In about twenty minutes, why?”

 

“Let’s stake out a good spot, maybe the back corner of the yard?”

 

“All the spots out there are the sam—oh, uh…yeah, yeah let’s do that.”

 

Lance giggled when Keith immediately took his hand and hauled him out back, skirting the half-filled patio furniture to hop off the low deck into the grass, and led him off to the side where tall bushes were planted along the fence line. They slipped between the bushes and the fence, Keith pressing Lance’s back to the fence as he leaned in close and kissed him with purpose.

 

With a happy sigh, Lance immediately went pliant for Keith, letting him control the kiss and deepen it as he wanted. He did exert a little control when he hooked his fingers into Keith’s belt loops and pulled their hips flush, letting out a quiet moan when he learned he wasn’t the only one getting hard here.

 

A minute or so after he felt his lips begin to tingle, Keith broke the kiss to trail his mouth across Lance’s jaw and down his neck. Between bites and licks, he said, “hey.”

 

“Uh…” Lance grunted, took two deep breaths, then gasped out, “yeah?”

 

“Next week,” Keith continued, “Tuesday. I want to do a scene with you, is that okay?”

 

At some point Keith had stopped and raised his head to look at Lance. When had he done that? Lance blinked twice, and Keith was still there, watching, waiting for an answer. “Um,” he swallowed, “of course, yeah, of course it’s okay.”

 

Keith’s smile left Lance floating and giddy, excited he could put such a beautiful look on his boyfriend’s face. “Good. I’ve got plans for a scene once a week for a little while.”

 

That brought Lance back to Earth. Why was he preplanning scenes like this? What was he ultimately planning? “O…kay? Why?”

 

“You’ll see at the end, but I promise it’ll be good,” Keith reassured him before resuming his attentions on Lance’s neck, effectively distracting him from his curiosity.

 

“Ah…mm…uh, huh,” he breathed, head tilting to the side to give Keith more room.

 

“Hey!” came a shout from the direction of the house. Lance flinched and Keith whipped his head in that direction, despite being completely hidden from the house. “Quit defiling my bushes, the fireworks are about to start,” Shiro called.

 

There was a pause where Keith turned back to Lance and they shared shocked and embarrassed looks. Then Keith buried his face in the crook of Lance’s neck to groan while Lance burst out laughing. “C’mon, babe…let’s move before he thinks we were actually defiling his poor bushes.”

 

Keith made a strange noise, a cross between a chuckle and a grumble, but backed off and led Lance back out to the main body of the yard, thankful the space was empty. Even Shiro had gone back inside. They moved to one end of the deck and sat on the edge, snuggled close as the back door opened again and the rest of the party began to wander out. Pidge walked by them and ruffled Lance’s hair as they passed. When Lance made an indignant noise, they raised an unimpressed brow and plopped down next to him.

 

“Thanks,” they muttered. Acxa’s hand was in their lap, clasped between both of theirs, and she was leaning heavily against their side.

 

“No problem.”

 

A flash streaked into the sky and burst into an array of red and blue sparks. Shortly after, the quiet boom of the mortar reached the yard, drawing everyone’s attention. Lance took a moment to look around. Shiro and Allura were sat on Keith’s other side, Coran was standing off to the side, Hunk and Shay were snuggled on a small blanket in the grass. Matt had been at the party earlier, but Lance guessed he must have gone home since he wasn’t out back with the rest, and Olia had opted to spend the evening with her husband and kids at another friend’s party that was more kid-friendly; as in, there were other kids there.

 

His eyes were drawn back to the sky when a rapid succession of five fireworks shot into the air, each exploding differently, filling their view with multicolored showers of sparks. Everyone ‘ooh’ed and ‘aah’ed with each sparkling blast, some even clapping in appreciation at a particularly spectacular arrangement.

 

Keith’s arm slipped around Lance’s waist, and he leaned his head onto Keith’s shoulder, snuggling close.

 

**** (1)

 

Lance drew in a deep breath, waking slowly to gentle hands rubbing soothingly over his shoulders and back. He was laying on his stomach, arms folded under his pillow, and he let out a content hum, arching into the touch, and hummed again when soft lips brushed over the back of his neck. “Mmm…what’d I do to deserve this?” he mumbled sleepily.

 

“Everything _you_ let _me_ do last night,” Keith answered, one hand skating down to brush over Lance’s ass, the skin still tender and warm to the touch. Lance drew in a sharp hiss, then moaned. Keith gently shushed him as he pulled his hand away. “Still sore?” he asked as he moved away.

 

“Mm…good sore,” Lance replied as he turned his head to see what Keith was doing. He had crawled over to his night stand to pick up the cream he’d rubbed onto Lance’s ass last night. Lance shivered and asked, voice small, “get the lube, too?”

 

Keith turned to blink at Lance, the concerned look on his face melting into hesitant excitement. “Yeah?”

 

“Uh, huh, but I don’t wanna move,” Lance murmured before burying his face in his pillow. He could hear Keith open the drawer, rummage around and close it again, then felt him move back toward him.

 

Warm lips peppered kisses across his shoulders and up his neck. “Just spread your legs for me, Baby, and I’ll take care of you.”

 

Lance did just that with a quiet moan as he turned his face to the side, looking back over his shoulder to see Keith squeezing said lube over his fingers. He shivered and canted his hips back just a little bit, flushing at Keith’s knowing smirk. When his fingers found their mark, he let out a quiet groan to find that two could still slide in easily.

 

Two soon became three, and then Keith laid himself over Lance to slide his cock in. Lance buried his moan into his pillow, while Keith panted hot breaths across the back of his neck. When Keith paused as soon as he was fully buried, Lance wiggled his hips with a quiet whine. Keith braced his hands just under Lance’s upper arms, whispered, “I’ve got you,” and pulled back.

 

His thrusts were slow but deep, reaching far inside and pressing his hips flush to Lance’s tender ass.

 

A quiet air settled over them. Keith dipped his head down to press kisses across Lance’s shoulders and hair, and Lance’s pleasured sounds were more often sighs and gasps than outright moans.

 

Keith’s thrusts pushed Lance’s hips down into the bed, providing just the right amount of friction on his cock. It heightened his pleasure, but didn’t push him to the edge too quickly.

 

Time faded away. Lance melted into the bed, warm and pliant, like honey. Keith kept his pace steady, only pausing occasionally to grind in deep and draw a shuddering gasp from Lance. Then, after they were both covered in a sheen of sweat and panting, Keith changed his angle and drove in with more purpose.

 

Lance hummed in surprise and pleasure, Keith’s cock massaging his prostate and driving his hips and cock harder into the bed.

 

Such a sudden change from the slow, tender build up had Lance gasping when he felt his muscles tense and tighten. He knew Keith felt it when he groaned deep and sped up more, pushing Lance closer and closer as he chased his own orgasm.

 

“Oh!” Lance cried out suddenly, as Keith’s next hard thrust in pushed him over and he came into the sheets; cum smearing across his lower stomach.

 

Keith shuddered and tensed with a loud moan, and Lance felt him twitch inside, coming deep and long in him. After, he slid off to Lance’s side, letting out a huff when he landed on the bed.

 

Lance moaned as Keith’s cock slid out of him. He turned his head to face Keith, pleased when he was immediately kissed on the cheek instead of his lips. He shifted to the side to nuzzle closer, but stopped with a grimace. “Ugh, gross,” he groused as he pushed himself up, groaning when the sheets desperately tried to cling to him where his cum was already starting to stick like glue.

 

Keith reached down to help separate Lance from the sheets, gamely keeping his laughter in and his expression in check. “Time to shower?”

 

“And change the sheets, I’m glad I didn’t do it yesterday.” Lance sat back on his heels with a wince, which Keith immediately noticed.

 

“Shit, sorry, I was going to rub more cream in for you.” He sat up and moved closer, but backed away when Lance waved him off and got up off the bed.

 

“You can do that when I’m clean. Can you get the sheets?” he asked, sounding a little urgent. He could already feel Keith’s cum running down his thigh and didn’t want to make a mess on the floors. Fortunately, Keith readily agreed and he hurried to the bathroom to hop in the shower.

 

Keith joined him just a few moments later, taking a quick turn while Lance worked on his hair.

 

“I’m still mad you can be in and out in, like…two minutes,” he groused.

 

“You could too if you dropped most of your routine,” Keith teased back, laughing when Lance flicked shampoo at him. “But the results are definitely worth it.”

 

“Of course they are,” Lance sniffed. Keith left another minute later, after pressing wet kisses along Lance’s shoulders and neck and affectionately squeezed his hips.

 

When Lance finished and returned to the bedroom with a towel around his waist, the bed was remade with fresh sheets and Keith was dressed to lounge around the house, sitting on the side of the bed with the cream warming between his hands. Lance followed Keith’s beckoning to lay on the bed, spreading the towel under his hips. Keith’s hands were warm and gentle as they spread and worked the cream into the skin of his ass. When Keith finished, Lance got up and dressed similarly to Keith, making sure to wear briefs to keep the fabric from rubbing too much, but looser pants so his ass didn’t have too much pressure on it.

 

They spent most of their morning taking it easy, Lance laying across Keith’s lap on his stomach, propped up on his elbows to work through some of the training materials Coran sent him on his laptop, while Keith read a book, using his back as a makeshift armrest.

 

Their lazy day off came to an abrupt stop, though, when Lance’s cell phone rang. When he saw it was the Bakery phone, he immediately put everything aside and answered.

 

“Hello?”

 

_“Are you at home? Is Keith with you?”_ came Olia’s voice through the speaker.

 

“Yeah. What’s up?” he replied as he put the phone on speaker.

 

_“It’s Coran.”_

 

——

 

The ride to the hospital was silent and tense with anxious worry. Somehow, Keith was more calm despite having known Coran longer, so he drove while Lance nervously picked his cuticles in the passenger seat. When Keith noticed, he simply reached over and took Lance’s hand, giving him something to hold on to while they drove.

 

They found a place to park near the main entrance, and again it was Keith who asked where to go and led Lance to the small private waiting room of the Stroke Center designated for families.

 

Everyone else was already there, Shay and Hunk sitting together on a small couch, Hunk’s arm around Shay’s shoulder as they leaned into each other for comfort; Pidge, Romelle, and Olia in a corner talking quietly; and Shiro and Allura on another small couch, Allura curled up against Shiro’s side, her head buried in the crook of his neck.

 

Immediately, Lance broke away from Keith to kneel in front of Allura. He placed gentle hands on her knee, and gave her a watery smile when she turned her head to look at him. Surprisingly, her eyes were dry, though she looked stressed and exhausted. “Hi.”

 

“Lance,” Allura breathed, then looked up when Keith sat on her other side, “Keith, thank you for coming.”

 

“There’s nowhere else I could be,” Lance replied, giving her knee an affectionate squeeze.

 

Keith asked, tone laced with regret, “what happened?”

 

“Stroke, if you hadn’t yet guessed,” Shiro answered, “we still don’t know how severe or why.”

 

They all lapsed into silence after that, seeing as no questions could be answered and there wasn’t anything to really talk about.

 

Fortunately, it was only another fifteen minutes before a doctor walked into the waiting room and said, in a heavy Indian accent, “Allura Smythe?”

 

“I’m here,” Allura answered, standing up and approaching the doctor. It was then that Lance noticed he was actually rather short, a good foot shorter than Allura at least.

 

“I am Doctor Slav. May I speak with you here, or would you like to talk in private?” the doctor asked.

 

Allura shook her head, “we’re all here for Coran, they’re going to hear it anyway.”

 

Dr. Slav nodded gravely and gestured for her to return to the couch, while he took the single seat just off to the side. “I will start by informing you that your uncle has been stabilized and moved to one of the recovery rooms within the Stroke Center.”

 

“Have you been able to determine what caused it? I always thought he was the picture of health,” Allura asked.

 

“Even the person appearing to be in perfect health can have underlying conditions or circumstances that lead to any number of medical emergencies,” Dr. Slav warned, “but yes, Mr. Smythe was, and outside of this situation still is, in excellent health. His medical records indicate a diagnosis of Mitral Valve Prolapse in 1980. He was given two medications, both of which it appears he was still taking to this day.”

 

“How did he get the prolapse?” Allura cut in.

 

Dr. Slav shook his head, “that is not something I can tell you.”

 

Allura frowned, and Shiro put a hand on her arm. When she looked at him, he smiled just a little, “confidentiality, remember?”

 

“Oh,” Allura deflated, “right, sorry. Please continue.”

 

Dr. Slav nodded and took a deep breath, “I tell you that to give you a more full diagnosis of Mr. Smythe today. We initially suspected the Prolapse to have caused clots to form, which they did, but we found none in Mr. Smythe’s brain. What we did find, was this stroke was what is called a Bilateral Watershed Stroke. From what we have determined, Mr. Smythe had a heart attack, and in several portions of his brain, the tiniest branched ends of his blood vessels lost the pressure needed to continue supplying blood to the brain.”

 

As Dr. Slav spoke, Allura’s hands moved up to press her fingers to her mouth, eyes brimming with tears. “Will he be alright?” she whispered.

 

“We won’t know if his brain sustained any damage until he wakes, but I can tell you this kind of stroke typically causes severe disability, if the patient survives. Whoever made the decision to call 911 effectively saved his life.”

 

Everyone but Keith and Lance looked to Romelle, the two following their eyes with the understanding that she was the one who recognized the emergency for what it was.

 

“I’m just glad I was right there when he started acting funny,” she said quietly.

 

“May I see him?” Allura asked.

 

Dr. Slav hesitated. “I can allow you in to sit with him, but only you,” he answered with a hint of regret, “but we’re not sure when he will wake up.”

 

Allura leaned forward, “I still would like to go see him, even just for a minute.”

 

“Very well,” Dr. Slav stood and Allura followed, Shiro standing with her, “follow me.”

 

Shiro pressed a kiss to her temple and she squeezed his shoulder, then she followed Dr. Slav back through the doors. When the swinging doors closed, Shiro slumped back onto the couch with a sigh. He leaned forward to rest his head in his hands, elbows propped on his knees.

 

Keith moved into Allura’s spot, and his hand just barely brushed Shiro’s shoulder when Shiro turned and pulled him into a tight hug. Keith barely hesitated before returning the embrace, holding Shiro close as he buried his face in the crook of Keith’s neck. They sat quietly, Shiro simply accepting the comfort he silently asked for. A few minutes later he sat up with another sigh to give Keith a grateful smile, then leaned back to slump into the cushions.

 

When Allura came back, led by a nurse, she looked both relieved and worried, her face pale and ashen. Keith moved aside, he and Shiro taking her hands to help her sit back down.

 

“How did he look?” Shiro asked quietly.

 

Allura took a deep breath, “they say he’s stable, and there’s no reason he shouldn’t wake up, but he looks so frail lying there connected to all those machines. Shiro,” she looked over to him, “what if he can no longer care for himself?”

 

“Then we’ll take care of him,” Shiro assured her, “we’ve got the space, and one of my clients manages a home care service.”

 

Allura stared at Shiro, eyes wide in surprise. “You…would do that for him?”

 

Shiro smiled gently, “of course I would. He’s your uncle, and like a second father to you. Not to mention how much he does for all of us.”

 

“What about the wedding?” Allura bit her lip, eyes brimming with tears, “oh! He was so excited. Any time we’d talk he’d go on about how much he was looking forward to standing in for my father, how honored he was that I asked him to.”

 

“We’ll figure it out,” Shiro soothed, one hand rubbing across her lower back while the other was clasped between her hands, “after he wakes up.”

 

“Right, of course you’re right,” she sighed, leaning into him.

 

The room was silent for another minute, then Shay got up and came up to where Allura sat. “I’m sorry, but we have to get back to the restaurant,” she said quietly.

 

“Not at all,” Allura shook her head and stood, leaning into Shay when she pulled her into a hug, “thank you for coming, we’ll let you know any updates as they come.”

 

“Please do. And let us know if you need anything,” she pulled away to give Allura a look, “and I mean that.”

 

Allura let out a weak laugh, “I will, I promise.”

 

Shiro, Keith, and Lance got up as well to join in the good-byes. When it was Lance’s turn to give Hunk a hug, he was pulled in close for Hunk to murmur in his ear, “let me know if you’re still here come dinner.”

 

Lance nodded, “you got it, big guy.”

 

While Hunk and Shay were making their way out, Pidge, Olia and Romelle came up, Romelle looking guilty, “I’ve got to go, and Olia’s my ride. I’m babysitting my little brothers tonight, and my parents can’t cancel.”

 

“And I’m gonna bounce with them,” Pidge added, “since I rode in with you.”

 

“It’s okay,” Shiro said, “we understand. I’m sure you’ve got a husband and kids waiting for you, too, Olia.”

 

“I do,” she replied, “you’ll keep us updated?”

 

“We will.”

 

She nodded, then turned to Lance, “what about the Bakery?”

 

“Yeah,” Lance nodded, crossing his arms in thought. “We all need the Bakery to keep running, and I think I know enough to keep it going for a little while, at least.”

 

“I have Power of Attorney, if you need anything signed,” Allura chimed in quietly.

 

Lance turned to smile at her, “thanks.”

 

Another round of hugs, promises to keep in touch, and more promises to ask for help if needed, and Romelle, Pidge, and Olia left, going the same way Hunk and Shay had walked off to.

 

“If you need to go, don’t let us keep you here,” Allura said.

 

Lance looked at Keith, who shrugged in return. “We were just bumming it at home. We can bum it here instead,” he replied with a little grin. Keith shook his head fondly, but hummed in affirmative.

 

Lance knew it was the right choice when Allura visibly sagged with relief. Shiro wrapped an arm around her shoulders and helped her sit back down. Keith led Lance to the other small couch and they settled in there to wait.

 

——

 

A hard nudge to his ribs jolted Lance awake. He sat up with a grumble, but quickly stuffed his aggravation to the side when he saw Dr. Slav speaking with Allura again.

 

“Your uncle woke up roughly thirty minutes ago,” he was saying, “he’s more alert than I would have expected, but he’s unable to communicate verbally and his right side is completely paralyzed.”

 

He paused there when Allura let out a choked sob, Shiro’s arms already around her, rubbing one hand soothingly over her arm and shoulders.

 

“I am terribly sorry,” he continued, “he perked up when I mentioned you, and seems to want to see you.”

 

Allura nodded and sniffled. “Can Shiro come with me? I don’t know if I can go in there on my own right now.”

 

Dr. Slav nodded, “that should be fine. Would you like to come now, or I can send a nurse for you in about ten minutes?”

 

Shiro looked to Allura, who shook her head, “we’ll go now.”

 

“Please, follow me.”

 

They followed Dr. Slav through the doors, only Shiro pausing to give Keith and Lance a small wave on their way out.

 

Keith heaved a sigh, “damn…”

 

“Yeah,” Lance whispered. He pulled out his phone and startled when he saw the time was already five thirty. He quickly shot a text to Hunk, letting him know what was up and that they were still there and not leaving soon. Then he sent updates to Pidge, Olia, and Romelle.

 

“What do you think’s gonna happen?” Keith asked him when he’d finished.

 

It was Lance’s turn to sigh, “I don’t know, but I have a feeling Coran’s not going to be leaving this hospital.”

 

——

 

Lance was right. While Coran seemed mentally alert enough to know what’s going on, he was completely unable to communicate, and while he had use of his left hand, he’d lost most of his coordination and was completely helpless.

 

Allura had mentioned postponing the wedding until he was well enough to leave the hospital a week later, and Coran grew so upset she immediately changed her mind. That was when Lance caught an idea, and he pulled Romelle and Shay into helping him get everything arranged.

 

****

 

Lance thought with all that was going on, Keith’s plans for their weekly scenes would be put aside, but for the next scene, he was actually glad to do something that completely took his mind off of all that was going on.

 

Suddenly running the Bakery was quite stressful, though it became easier when Allura used her Power of Attorney to give him full access to the bills and accounts so he could take care of things on his own.

 

——(2)

 

“You made sure everyone knows the change in plans?” Lance asked into the phone, for probably the fiftieth time.

 

Shay simply smiled patiently, “ _yes. Shiro’s parents are joining us, but everyone else has graciously agreed to just be part of the reception, and we’ll see them at Taste.”_

 

“Okay. You’re leaving soon?”

 

_“We’re heading out in about five minutes. Allura wouldn’t let any of us help her with getting ready, of course, but she’s almost done.”_

 

“Good. Keith just texted me that he and Shiro are on their way, and—oh! There he is, gotta go!”

 

_“Go!”_

 

Lance hung up and waved to the unusually large man looking around with an intense gaze. When his eyes found Lance, they flashed in recognition and he made his way over through the waiting room.

 

“Mr. Galra,” Lance said, holding out his hand, “thank you for doing this for us.”

 

“Antok, please,” the man, Antok, replied, and shook Lance’s hand. “I’m glad to do this for Takashi and his bride.”

 

Antok was a close friend of Shiro’s father, according to Keith, and despite his gruff appearance he was a fully ordained minister, and had been asked to officiate their wedding. Lance simply asked him to come to a different location.

 

“Where will we be having the ceremony?” Antok asked when they let go.

 

Lance waved him to follow, “through here.” He led Antok in the now familiar path through the hospital to a wing just before the Stroke Center. The nurses at the station let them through without a word, simply smiling and waving as they passed by.

 

Everyone was in on it, and more than happy to help.

 

When they came to the right room, Lance gently knocked before slowly opening the door. Inside, Coran was lying in the bed, awake and propped up in a reclining position. He’d been bathed, his hair styled and his mustache waxed the way he liked it. He’d even been dressed in one of his collared shirts and a bow tie for the occasion. His eyes lit on Lance and he grinned with the left half of his mouth, the other side slack and drooping in it’s paralysis.

 

“Morning, boss!” Lance said cheerfully, “this is Antok, he’s the officiator for today.”

 

Antok followed Lance into the room and nodded in Coran’s direction, “good morning.”

 

Coran let out a grunt, and Lance said, “that’s his way of saying hello.” He walked up to Coran and tweaked his bowtie just a bit, “you ready for this? They’ll be here soon.”

 

Tears welled in Coran’s eyes, though his grin only faded to a smile.

 

“Yeah,” Lance said, “me, too.”

 

He turned when someone knocked on the door frame, watching the couple coming in greet Antok warmly.

 

The man was tall and broad, though still dwarfed by Antok’s size. His silver hair was tied in a long braid, and a scar bisected his left eye. He appeared stoic, but the twinkle in his eye gave away his excitement.

 

The woman with him was shorter and slender, but in no way diminutive. Her hair was dark, almost black, her eyes nearly as dark, and had sharp features that reminded Lance of Keith.

 

“Mr. and Mrs. Shirogane?” he asked tentatively.

 

They turned to Lance, and after a moment recognition sparked in them. “Lance McClain?” the woman asked.

 

“Um, yes,” Lance shuffled his feet, then stepped forward and held out his hand, “it’s nice to meet you.”

 

Mr. Shirogane took his hand first, giving it a firm shake, then handed him off to his wife to do the same. “Kolivan Shirogane, and this is my wife, Kaiya.”

 

“Shiro has told us much about you,” Kaiya added, “you’ve been good for our nephew it seems.”

 

Lance let out a nervous laugh, “ah, well…he’s been good for me, too.”

 

_“What are we doing up here?”_ came from down the hall, and Lance recognized Shiro’s voice, _“I thought we were coming here after.”_

 

_“Just trust me,”_ was Keith’s reply, _“we’re in the right place.”_

 

Keith poked his head in first, throwing a grin at Lance and shooting a nervous glance toward his aunt and uncle, and now Lance could really see the resemblance. Keith’s mother and Kaiya must have looked just alike. He stepped in the room and pulled Shiro in behind him. “See?”

 

Shiro stopped, shocked. It took just a second for him to break out in a huge grin, “who’s responsible for this?”

 

“Lance,” Keith immediately answered, shooting him a smug smirk as Lance blushed and spluttered.

 

Lance was suddenly hauled up in a crushing hug. He wheezed, which earned him a muttered sorry as Shiro set him back down.

 

“This is…” Shiro sniffled, “thank you, so much. Allura was so upset Coran wasn’t going to be able to come.”  
  
“I know,” Lance soothed, “so I figured, why not come to Coran, instead? The hospital staff were thrilled when I approached them about it.”

 

Shiro took a deep breath and turned to Coran. They shared a smile, and Shiro accepted Coran’s outstretched hand. “Finally, huh?” he choked. When Coran let go with a hum, he turned to his parents. Kaiya hugged him gently, then Kolivan gave him the same firm handshake he’d given Lance. “How was the trip?”

 

“Uneventful, traffic was fairly light this morning,” Kaiya answered, while Kolivan turned to Keith.

 

“It’s been a long time,” he said.

 

Keith nodded, “sorry, sir.”

 

Kolivan shook his head, “I am not reprimanding you, but simply stating a fact. Though I would not turn down the opportunity to see you more often. Your aunt I know feels the same.”

 

Somehow, Keith melted under the gentle admonition, even smiling a little, “I think I’d like that.”

 

“Excellent,” Kolivan said and reached out, smiling back when Keith shook his hand. He gripped harder toward the end instead of letting go, and pulled Keith toward Kaiya.

 

“Hello,” Keith murmured, sounding almost shy.

 

“Keith,” Kaiya murmured, hands settling on his upper arms, “you clean up nicely.”

 

That earned her a weak chuckle. “You look elegant, as always,” he replied.

 

Kaiya tilted her head one way, then the other, “every time I see you, you look more and more like Krolia, though from what Shiro tells me, you remind him of Thace every time you open your mouth.”

 

“That is _not_ what I said,” Shiro denied with a laugh.

 

Kaiya gave him a sly grin, “you might as well have. Krolia’s looks and Thace’s attitude, I think were your exact words.”

 

“I…” Shiro shrugged, “yeah, you got me there.”

 

Keith’s face had lowered, though a small, sad smile played around his lips, “I’m sorry if it’s painful to be reminded of them like this.”

 

Kaiya turned back to Keith with a frown, “how could it be painful to see their son, their legacy, carrying on parts of them that made them special? How could I be anything but proud?” Before Keith could protest, she pulled him into the same gentle hug she’d given Shiro.

 

Keith took a shuddering breath and whispered, “thank you.”

 

Then a small commotion in the hall captured their attention.

 

“That must be Allura,” Lance said, brimming with excitement, “if you’ll excuse me…”

 

The crowd parted for him, and he slipped from the room and down the hall. As he suspected, Allura and Shay were making their way toward him, Allura understandably suspicious and Shay doing her best to keep her calm.

 

“Ah, the lady of the hour!” Lance said, drawing their attention.

 

“Lance?” Allura asked, “what are we doing here? We’re due at the courthouse any minute. I thought we were coming here after?”

 

Lance smiled and offered her his elbow, grateful when she immediately took hold of it, tucking her fingers in the crook of his arm. “There’s been a slight change of venue. If you’ll allow me to show you?”

 

Allura paused, eyes widening in surprise. “Is that…are we?”

 

“Did you use waterproof makeup?” he asked teasingly.

 

“Of course I did, silly,” Allura replied, snapping out of her surprise for just a moment, “but—“

 

“Yes,” Lance answered before she could even ask, “you’re in the right place.” He looked up to see Keith watching from the doorway and nodded. Keith nodded back before ducking back into the room, and Lance slowly led Allura to the door. “You look radiant,” he said.

 

She absolutely did.

 

Her silvery white hair was swept back in a series of small braids, woven through her curls, and disappearing into the rest of her hair that tumbled down her back in her gorgeous, natural waves. Her face was done expertly, but simply, a natural look enhancing her beauty but not detracting from it. She wore a knee-length dress; its bodice a sweetheart strapless piece covered in sheer ruched fabric that came up to wrap around her neck with a strip of fabric like a choker. The skirt was the same, a solid satin overlaid with sheer chiffon. The entire dress was a beautiful champagne pink, which complimented her dark skin and highlighted her bright hair.

 

“Thank you,” she whispered, and then they were at the door and Lance was leading her through.

 

Keith had done his job well arranging everyone the way Lance had asked him to. Shiro stood beside Coran’s bed, leaving a space for Allura to stand closer to him. Antok stood on the other side of Coran’s bed opposite Shiro, while Keith, Kolivan, and Kaiya were lined up at the foot of the bed, Kolivan beside Antok, Kaiya in the middle, and Keith beside Shiro.

 

Lance led Allura up to stand beside Shiro, who was watching them with shining eyes. He took her right hand when Lance gave it to him, then Lance helped Coran take hold of her left. Allura let out a quiet sob.

 

Lance and Shay took up their positions behind Shiro and Allura, Lance doing his best to step in for Coran, and Shay as her bridesmaid.

 

“Is this everyone?” Antok asked quietly.

 

Keith nodded, “yes.”

 

“Then let us begin.

 

We are here today to witness the union of Takashi Shirogane and Allura Smythe. We all knew this was a long time coming,” he slid a sly gaze toward Kaiya and Kolivan, earning chuckles from all around, “and I’d like to officially say, ‘finally!’

 

I have never seen a love between two as deep and limitless as between Shiro and Allura. We’ve all seen it. So today, it is my honor to join the two of you in a union as old and traditional as time itself. Now I will ask for your public declaration of commitment to each other. Takashi,—“

 

Shiro immediately straightened, though he still only had eyes for Allura.

 

“—Do you take Allura as your wife? Do you promise to love her, comfort her, honor and keep her, in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all others, to be faithful to her as long as you both shall live?”

 

Shiro’s throat bobbed as he swallowed, “I do.”

 

“Allura, to you take Takashi as your husband? Do you promise to love him, comfort him, honor and keep him, in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all others, to be faithful to him as long as you both shall live?”

 

“I do,” came Allura’s quiet but strong reply.

 

The rings, please.”

 

Shay came forward, depositing two rings into Antok’s outstretched hand. He picked up the smaller of the two and gave it to Shiro. Allura had to let go of Coran’s hand so Shiro could take hold of her left and hold the ring at the end of her finger.

 

:If you will look toward each other and Takashi, please repeat after me.”

 

“Allura, I take you to be my wife from this time onward,

 

“to join with you and to share what is to come,

 

“to be your faithful husband,

 

“to give and to receive,

 

“to speak and to listen,

 

“to inspire and to respond;

 

“a commitment made in love,

 

“kept in faith,

 

“and eternally made new.”

 

Shiro slid the ring fully onto her finger. Then Antok gave the other ring to Allura, and the process began again.

 

“Allura, please repeat after me.”

 

“Takashi, I take you to be my husband from this time onward,

 

“to join with you and to share what is to come,

 

“to be your faithful wife,

 

“to give and to receive,

 

“to speak and to listen,

 

“to inspire and to respond;

 

“a commitment made in love,

 

“kept in faith,

 

“and eternally made new.”

 

There was a slight pause for Lance to help Coran take hold of Allura’s left hand again, then Antok continued.

 

“In the presence of loved ones, you have expressed your love and commitment to each other. It is my honor now, by the power vested in me by the state of Florida, to pronounce you husband and wife. Shiro, you may kiss your bride.”

 

Shiro didn’t hesitate to step close to Allura, careful not to pull her away from Coran’s hand, and cupped her cheeks in both hands before bending forward and placing a gentle but firm kiss to her lips.

 

When he pulled away, Antok finished with, “may I introduce Mr. and Mrs. Takashi Shirogane.”

 

Everyone around began to quietly clap, while Shiro and Allura shared another kiss, and then a tight hug. When they separated, they both immediately turned to Coran, who was grinning so wide with the left side of his face, tears streaming down his cheeks. He looked elated, and yet more tired than he’d seemed the last few weeks of lying in his hospital bed.

  
“Oh, uncle,” Allura whispered. She sat on the edge of his bed and took hold of both of his hands. “I’m so grateful to you. You’ve been my father in his absence, and to be here, so you could see this for him…I love you, so much.” Coran squeezed her hand with his left and pulled it up to his face. She cupped his cheek in her palm and smiled sadly at him. “You waited just for this, didn’t you?” His saddened eyes were the answer she apparently needed. She sighed heavily and leaned forward to press a kiss to his forehead. “Blaine is waiting for you, I’m sure he’ll be ecstatic to see you again.”

 

The door opened, and Lance looked back to see Keith had gone to fetch two of the nurses. She slipped in quietly and stayed back while Allura kissed Coran one more time.

 

“Goodbye, dear Uncle. Tell father hello for me?” she asked, voice thick with tears.

 

Coran’s left cheek lifted in a loving smile as his eyes drifted closed. His breathing evened out, gradually slowing down until, finally, he breathed out his last.

 

Allura let out a single sob as Shiro’s hands rested on her shoulders in a silent show of comfort and support. Antok stepped back, giving one of the nurses room to come around and turn off the machines hooked to Coran. The other nurse returned a minute later with Dr. Slav, who silently approached the first nurse. At his look, she nodded and stepped away.

 

Dr. Slav gently took Coran’s left wrist in hand, checked his watch, and let go. “Time of death,” he said quietly, “two twenty-seven p.m.”

 

——

 

They arrived at Taste later than planned, but Lance had sent Shay ahead to let everyone there know what had happened. Keith and Lance stayed with Shiro and Allura, as did Shiro’s parents, while Allura dealt with all the paperwork involved, as well as taking care of what arrangements she could. They’d known since he woke from the stroke that he was unlikely to recover, and—

 

“it’s almost a relief,” Allura said, when Lance asked if she needed anything, “I’ve already processed this happening, and now I can fulfill his final wishes knowing he died surrounded with love.”

 

When they made it to the restaurant, Keith led Kolivan and Kaiya inside first, then Lance came in to announce the newly married couple.

 

He was greeted to a subdued, but cheerful crowd, all of whom stopped to give him their attention as soon as he cleared his throat.

 

“It is a great privilege, and the utmost honor, to announce to you Mr. and Mrs. Takashi Shirogane!”

 

He stepped aside to let them through to be greeted by their friends and family with clapping and cheers. It wasn’t as large of a crowd as Hunk and Shay’s anniversary, but their families were much smaller than Shay’s. Along with Everyone save Antok from the hospital, the Holts were there, Olia and her family, Romelle, Hunk and Shay, and the staff from Taste they’d befriended over the years; Acxa, Narti, Zethrid, and Ezor.

 

“Thank you for celebrating with us today,” Shiro said once the clapping had died down. “I know you’ve been told of Coran’s passing. Allura and I discussed it on the way here, and we want to honor him here, today, celebrate his life while we celebrate a new chapter of ours.”

 

He was met with genuine agreement and support, and when they went around to greet everyone individually, there wasn’t a single dry eye in the entire restaurant.

 

****

 

There was no funeral or memorial service for Coran. Everyone who would have come was at Allura and Shiro’s wedding reception, and that had been their goal, to combine the two since everyone was already there, and to truly honor him with a celebration rather than a subdued service.

 

Life kept going, though. Coran had left the Bakery to Allura, but she was already starting the process to pass it on to Lance. He was glad to let her handle the legalities of the transfer so he could focus on running the Bakery and hiring someone to take his place as cake and cookie decorator. Shay had returned to do the job in the meantime, which was a huge relief for Lance. He didn’t know if he could keep up with being the boss and doing all the decorating.

 

He was glad he’d already started advertising the position shortly after Coran went to the hospital. It was unspokenly understood that he wouldn’t be returning to run the Bakery. He had four interviews set up for Monday and Tuesday, and enlisted Shay’s help to judge if the four who he approved of on paper could be approved by their skills.

 

All three interviews on Monday went well enough, but none seemed to have the ‘click’ that Lance had felt with Romelle. He’d second guessed that feeling before, but now he was looking for it.

 

The minute his fourth and final interview was led to his office by Shay, he felt it.

 

“Good morning,” the young man said, back straight and face open and honest, “I’m Ryan Kinkade, here for an interview with Mr. McClain.”

 

Lance stood and rounded his desk, hand reaching out to shake his. “That would be me, but please call me Lance. Mr. McClain makes me feel old.” He smiled when Ryan tried to suppress a chuckle, and motioned to one of the chairs in front of his desk as he returned to Coran’s—no, his— seat. “Come in and sit down. I’d like to talk with your first, and then Shay will give you a decorating task. Normally I’d just ask you to bring in a portfolio or examples of your work, but this was pretty short notice, and I didn’t want to stress you by asking for something I’d have given you a full week or more to put together.”

 

“That’s alright,” Ryan answered, “I came prepared anyway, but I’d be glad to show you my skills afterward as well, so you know I actually did all that.” He pulled a thin binder from the satchel he’d brought in, and handed it over to Lance.

 

“Oh,” Lance accepted the binder and immediately opened it. He whistled, flipping through the pictures and diagrams, all of which were highly technical and as precise as the finished products shown. “Wow. That’s…impressive. Here,” he closed the binder and passed it on to Shay, who took it with a murmured thanks.

 

She did the same, flipping through the pictures. A slow smile spread over her face. When she finished, she asked, “can I bring this out to the work tables? I think I need to up the challenge I’ve set out for you.”

 

Ryan grinned. “That’s fine with me, as long as I get it back unscathed.”

 

“I promise,” Shay vowed, and walked out, binder tucked gently in her arm.

 

“So,” Lance drew Ryan’s attention back, “why do you want to work at Altea Bakery?”

 

**** (3)

 

It was Lance’s turn to pamper Keith the morning after a scene. He woke early, slipped out of bed, and only detoured to grab yoga pants and a t-shirt on his way to the kitchen.

 

He worked quickly, but didn’t rush, prepping coffee and making avocado toast. Sure, it was simple, but it was one of Keith’s favorites, and it was quick and easy. As each item finished, he balanced their breakfast plates and coffee cups and carried them carefully to the bedroom.

 

Glad the door didn’t latch when he’d gently pulled it closed earlier, he backed into the room and went to his side of the bed to set their things down.

 

“Lance?” Keith’s muffled question came from somewhere under a pillow, and Lance chuckled.

 

“Breakfast is ready,” he quietly sang, sitting on the edge of the bed to scoot up and prop his back against the head board.

 

That got Keith up quickly, head popping up to smell coffee and, “avocado toast?”

 

“Mm-hmm.”

 

“I should let you take charge more often, if this is the morning after,” he said while rearranging himself to sit like Lance.

 

When he was settled, Lance passed over his cup and plate, then set his own place on his thighs. He cradled his coffee between his palms and took a hefty sip. “I wouldn’t mind that.”

 

“What? Being my service top?” Keith teased.

 

Lance chuckled, but sobered quickly, “actually…yeah. Not all the time, but…it was fun.”

 

“Yeah, it was.”

 

They settled into comfortable silence and ate. The sun was shining into the bedroom window, and birds were singing somewhere close enough they could hear.

 

Lance’s phone buzzing interrupted the quiet morning calm.

 

**Charlie Brown**

Hey dude, we just passed through Tallahassee

 

 

“Oh, shit,” Lance rubbed his face and sighed.

 

Keith hummed, “what’s up?”

 

“Charlie and Stella are coming today,” Lance groaned. “With everything that’s happened, I completely forgot! I can’t take time off for this, they’re gonna be stuck here with nothing to do! And…oh, no. My birthday is—“ he paused to count, “—Saturday! Stella’s gonna wanna know what we’re doing, and I haven’t made any plans! I—“

 

“Lance,” Keith said, loud but calm, hands reaching out to turn him and grasp his shoulders. He took a few deep breaths, smiling when Lance mimicked the actions and slowly calmed down. “It’s gonna be ok. We’re ready for them to stay, and that’s the main thing. Today, we just need to get that set up and make a grocery run. After that, we’ll go with the flow. They have a car, so they won’t be ‘stuck’ here. And if it’s just us for your birthday that’ll be ok too.”

 

Lance was nodding along with Keith as he gave an answer for each thing Lance had said, shoulders relaxing with every word. “Right. You’re right. I have a list ready for groceries, and the sheets are clean. It’s all good.”

 

“Yeah. It’s all good.”

 

**Lancey Lance**

Bring it, bro!

 

——

 

Lance was relieved when Stella didn’t make as much of a fuss about his birthday like she did last year about Keith’s. She and Charlie had plenty of things they wanted to either do again or check out, and while they were a little bummed Lance couldn’t take time off to spend with them, they again were understanding and rolled with it.

 

Saturday, Romelle and Olia wouldn’t let Lance into the Bakery at all, Ryan laughing in the background when they crowded him back into his car with a box of his favorite treats.

 

“Shiro gave Keith the day off, too. Go enjoy your birthday, you’ve earned it,” Olia told him in that unmistakeable mom voice.

 

Lance sank back in his seat, but was relieved for the time off. “Yes ma’am.” He started the car and pulled out, smiling as they waved him off.

 

When he got back home, everyone was still asleep. Ah, the curse of early operation. He decided he’d go ahead and treat himself to some ‘me time’. He made his way quietly to the bathroom and silently shut the door. He turned the tap in the tub on hot, then undressed and put his clothes back on their hangars to keep them from wrinkling. When he’d adjusted the temperature just right, the plug was pushed down so the tub could fill.

 

As he waited for the water to fill, he rummaged around for his collection of face masks. He picked up a few, and eventually picked out a jar filled with a light turquoise jello-like product. He gave his face a quick rinse, then worked the mask over his skin to his satisfaction.

 

By the time he was done, the tub was full enough, so he shut off the water, picked up a white bath bomb, and gently dropped it in. The fragrance of mimosa and jasmine filled the steamy room, and Lance took a deep breath as he gingerly stepped into the tub and immersed himself up to his shoulders.

 

Just a few minutes later there was a quiet knock at the door. “It’s me,” came Keith’s voice from the other side.

 

“Come in,” Lance answered. When he did, face pinched with worry, Lance smiled, “Olia and Romelle wouldn’t let me in the Bakery. Sent me packing with a box of pastries and told me Shiro won’t let you come in either.”

 

Immediately Keith’s worry turned to fond exasperation. “That was really nice of them.”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“So you’re ok?” he asked, perching on the edge of the tub so he could lean forward and his a kiss in Lance’s hair.

 

Lance sighed at the contact, eyes closing in bliss. “I’m great.”

 

“You’re also hogging the bathroom,” Charlie said on the other side of the door.

 

Lance groaned while Keith laughed, nearly falling into the tub himself. He managed to get up, and unceremoniously closed the shower curtain before opening the door, “come on, I’ll take you guys downstairs to the lobby bathroom.”

 

——

 

They headed to Waffle House for breakfast, then drove West, through the rest of Fort Walton, then farther; through Navarre, all the way to Gulf Breeze, then across the bridge to Pensacola Beach, and finally off the beaten path, taking a right onto Fort Pickens Road.

 

It was quite the drive, but well worth it when they arrived.

 

Fort Pickens was one of two forts that protected the Gulf access to Pensacola Bay, and was intact enough to still be open to the public.

 

They grabbed maps, which included a self guided tour, and explored the pentagonal fort, from the outer walls and cannons, to the inner quarters, jail cells, and everything in between. Keith had been a few times before, so he shared what information he could remember, while Lance, Charlie, and Stella explored with wide-eyed wonder.

 

“That was pretty cool,” Charlie admitted as they walked back to the car when everyone decided they were too hungry to stay any longer.

 

Lance chuckled. “Yeah, just pretty cool,” he teased.

 

“It was _way_ cool,” Stella countered, sliding in behind the driver’s seat.

 

“I’m glad you liked it,” Keith said.

 

They bypassed Peg Leg Pete’s, despite Charlie’s enthusiasm to eat at a pirate themed restaurant, instead pulling in at Shaggy’s for lunch.

 

It was, unfortunately, as crowded as they’d expected for a Saturday afternoon in July, and they took the offer to take seats at the bar. Lance let Stella get a virgin daquiri, which meant Charlie had to get one too.

 

“Do you want one?” Keith asked quietly.

 

Lance looked over the selections, but eventually shook his head, “I’m good.” When the bartender came to take their order, he opted for a cherry coke. Keith stuck with a regular coke.

 

They went ahead and ordered, Lance asking for fish tacos, Keith choosing the grilled fish sandwich, and Stella and Charlie each getting a basket; chicken for Stella and shrimp for Charlie.

 

They relaxed and cooled off with their drinks while they waited, the noise all around them more than enough. It didn’t take as long as they expected for the food to arrive, of which they were extremely grateful. Charlie was starting to get hangry.

 

After lunch, they piled back in the car and headed back to Fort Walton, taking a detour to the Bakery before going all the way home.

 

When they walked in, Ryan was rearranging the cookie display to fill in empty spaces. He looked up when the bell rang with a smile.

 

“Welcome to Altea Bakery, how can I—oh, hey Lance! Having a good birthday?”

 

Lance grinned and waved, “hi, Ryan. Yeah, we went to Fort Pickens.”

 

“Nice! Can I get you anything, or were you just stopping to say hello?”

 

Lance was about to shake his head when he noticed Charlie already critically eyeing the cases for his choice. “I guess we’re getting something,” he said in mock resignation, “Ryan, this is Keith. Keith, Ryan, our new guy.”

 

Ryan wipes his hands and came around the counter to shake Keith’s hand, “pleasure to meet you, Lance speaks highly of you.”

 

“Oh, uh…” Keith shook his hand almost absently, apparently thrown that Lance talked about him here, to his…employees? yeah, “nice to meet you too.”

 

Lance snickered, “and these two hooligans are Charlie and Stella, my brother and sister.”

 

“Visiting from Orlando,” Ryan supplied, shaking hands with both as they turned to him.

 

“So I can get something?” Charlie asked.

 

“Go ahead, Chuck,” Lance laughed, “you want something, Bells?”

 

Stella looked over the cookies, “are these yours, Lancito?”

 

“Not anymore.”

 

“Hmph,” she frowned, then shrugged, “oh well, I want that one.” She pointed to a large sea shell shaped cookie, frosted in a swirl of blue, white, and turquoise and brushed with shimmering pearl dust.

 

“Excellent choice,” Ryan agreed, pulling on a glove to grab the cookie and put it in a small bag for her. “And you, Charlie?” he asked, walking over to where the teen was deliberating over his selection.

 

“Uh…that one?” he pointed at a chocolate croissant, and Ryan put it in a separate bag, handing them over to their new owners before he turned to Lance and Keith.

 

“Anything for you two?”

 

Lance shook his head, while Keith said, “I’m good, thanks.”

 

“We haven’t touched the box at home yet,” Lance added, “how’d the day go?”

 

Ryan smiled, “it’s been a great day. Everyone’s left satisfied and happy, and there have been no kitchen disasters. Romelle’s on a break right now, and Olia’s kneading the dough for tomorrow.”

 

Lance smirked, a mischievous gleam in his eye. “I’ll be right back,” he said as he walked to the swinging door leading into the kitchen.

 

True enough, Olia was busy kneading dough at her work table, and didn’t notice he’d come through until he said, “just stopping by to check on the office,” as he made to head that direction.

 

“Oh no you don’t!” Olia scolded, dropping her dough to round the table and block his way, “we told you to stay—hey!” She stopped when she saw what Lance was wearing, board shorts and a t-shirt, and chuckled, “you had me there for a sec.”

 

“I had to at least come say hi, couldn’t stay away all day,” Lance said as he shoved his hands in his pockets.

 

“Well you’ve said hello, now get outta here, we’ll have you in our hair soon enough tomorrow,” she teased as she returned to her kneading.

 

“Later!” Lance came back out to the front of the shop just as Charlie finished off his treat while Stella wrapped up the remaining half of hers and put it back in the bag.

 

He joined Keith at the till, where he was looking just a little miffed. He sighed when Lance cocked his head in question, “I’m trying to pay.”

 

“Don’t worry about it,” Lance reassured him, “I’ll take care of it later.”

 

That seemed to placate Keith. Lance winked at Ryan when he turned to head to the door. “See ya tomorrow,” Ryan said with a wave.

 

“Later, man.” Lance herded the twins out as they said their goodbyes and expressed their thanks, and then they were back in the car to head home.

 

****

 

Charlie had to get back to work Monday morning, so they left the next day after a late breakfast at the Bakery with Keith so Lance could say goodbye. They hugged each other tight, not knowing the next time they’d be able to see each other in person again, and after they left Keith stayed until Voltron opened.

 

Lance took many opportunities for comforting hugs and kisses throughout the rest of the morning.

 

****

 

Monday and Tuesday this week had Lance out of the office with Allura, meeting with lawyers and any and all other officials to get everything with the Bakery squared away.

 

They ended up having to dissolve Coran’s business so Lance could take the name and create a new LLC.

 

When he told Allura he was afraid he couldn’t afford all the fees, she shook her head and told him that Coran had left a portion for just this purpose.

 

It seemed he was prepared for anything.

 

So by the end of business day Tuesday, Lance was officially a business owner, complete with taking over any accounts or transferring ones he couldn’t absorb.

 

**** (4)

 

Lance woke to the warm smell of hot tea. He opened his eyes to see Keith setting a mug down on his nightstand and yawned, then winced. Ah, yeah. He knew he’d be paying for it today, but, “still worth it.”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Mm-hmm,” his voice sounded a little rough still, but some of that was also sleep, so…

 

He sat up as Keith perched on the edge of the bed to pass the tea over, his worried eyes quelling Lance’s mild irritation at feeling coddled. Instead, he accepted the cup and murmured his thanks, smiling when Keith pressed a kiss to his cheek.

 

“Think you’re up for bacon biscuits?” Keith asked.

 

Lance chuckled into his cup. After taking a sip, ah…Keith let it cool some before bringing it back in here, “yeah, I’m up for it.” Taking a look at his lap, he muttered, “among other things.”

 

“I heard that,” Keith teased, but he got up and headed back to the door, “we’ll take care of that later.”

 

“Promise?” Lance wheedled, throwing the covers back and setting his tea aside to find pants.

 

Keith’s dark chuckle was answer enough. Lance shivered.

 

——

 

“A-ah!” Lance moaned. They hadn’t even made it back to the bedroom. Instead, Keith had pulled Lance to the couch and pushed him into the cushions. Now he was kneeling between his legs, returning Lance’s favor, with the added bonus of a prostate massage.

 

As usual, his other hand was connected to his own dick.

 

“Fuck, Keith,” he whined when Keith moaned around his cock. His fingers tangled in Keith’s hair, gripping gently and following his movements. When Keith’s nose pressed into the skin right by the base of his cock, he swallowed, and Lance was gone with a gasping cry.

 

Keith continued to swallow and massage, drawing out the pleasure until Lance was pushing his head away and closing his knees on reflex. As his mouth popped off Lance’s cock his threw his head back with a groan, body tensing.

 

It always made Lance so hot to see how riled up Keith got at giving head.

 

Then again, Lance had the same experience last night.

 

“You okay?” Keith asked through his panting breaths.

 

Lance hummed, “never better.”

 

Keith sighed as he reached up to tug his shirt off by the back of his collar. First he gingerly wiped Lance clean, then bent forward to clean his own mess. “Too bad I have to make up today for Saturday.”

 

“That’s a shame,” Lance agreed, tipping sideways to lay down on the couch. His briefs and leggings were dangling off one leg, and he lazily moved to redress himself without getting up.

 

“It was worth it, though.”

 

“Definitely.”

 

Keith crawled up onto the couch to lay on top of Lance, humming when Lance’s arms wrapped around him. They laid together, sharing lazy kisses until it was time for Keith to get ready. He left Lance on the couch to go shower, and found him still there when he passed through again on his way out, half dozing.

 

“See you later,” he murmured, pressing a kiss to Lance’s forehead, then his lips when Lance whined and tilted his face up. “Love you.”

 

“Love you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys I'm so, so, so, so sorry!
> 
> If you're here for spoilers: The day after Lance and Keith's first scene, Coran has a major stroke at the Bakery, and is taken to the hospital. It's not good, and he can't speak or move afterward. Despite this, he makes it clear the wedding the following week should go on, and Lance has the bright idea to move it to the hospital so he can see it.
> 
> Immediately after, Allura says goodbye, and Coran passes peacefully.
> 
> This thought popped into the storyline and wouldn't let go. I cried, y'all. I whined to a friend, and she didn't even wanna know! Gah! I'm so sad.
> 
> Also, some of you might notice how Lance barely grieves, and are a little miffed about it. This wasn't a callous move on my part. Things are so busy, and Lance has so many new responsibilities, he hasn't had a moment to breathe and even think about what happened. Once things slow down and he can breathe, you bet he's going to have a hell of a breakdown. Probably next chapter with August rolling in and school starting almost immediately, meaning tourist season comes to an end.
> 
> I hope you all forgive me! I may not forgive myself. But at least Coran get to see Blaine and Alfor again, right? I'd like to think so.
> 
> If you wanna yell at me, you're welcome to find me on [tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/krysblack), though I'm pretty dead there now, or my new set-up on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/KrysBlackWrites)
> 
> I'd rather you tell me nice things, but I'm fully prepared for a furious audience. I humbly bow and beg your understanding and forgiveness.
> 
> <3<3


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